


When the Apple Falls Far From the Tree

by bananagirl-97 (therideisfarfromover)



Series: can the next gen just be happy and live their lives without war pls? [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 'When The Apple' Universe, Cursed Child who, Cute, Family, Family Feels, Gen, Good Weasley Family (Harry Potter), Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Hogwarts students - Freeform, Just Weasley-Potter kids enjoying life without war or anything, Multi, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, One Big Happy Weasley Family (Harry Potter), One Shot Collection, Sibling Bonding, Slice of Life, Teenagers, They're not their parents, Weasley Family-centric (Harry Potter), headcanons, just all my next gen headcanons in a fic basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-09
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 36,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therideisfarfromover/pseuds/bananagirl-97
Summary: "Look. I love my father, and I have a lot of respect for him. However; I am not him." Because sometimes, they were different from what they were expected to be; and occasionally- so much more. A collection of one-shots (all in the same timeline), detailing various times in which the next generation proved that to be true.[Re-uploaded from FF.net, published as bananagirl.97]
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & James Sirius Potter & Lily Luna Potter, Fred Weasley II & Roxanne Weasley, James Sirius Potter & Fred Weasley II, James Sirius Potter/Original Female Character(s), Lily Luna Potter/Lorcan Scamander, Lorcan Scamander & Lysander Scamander, Lucy Weasley & Molly Weasley II, Molly Weasley II/Original Male Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy & Albus Severus Potter & Rose Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley, Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley
Series: can the next gen just be happy and live their lives without war pls? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010781
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Scorpius shares his cake

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, readers! If you've read my other Harry Potter stories, then you'll know that I've been talking about writing this for a while... And now I've finally started! I'm hoping to be continually writing (I already have over 50 chapters planned), and will try to update as regularly as possible. (Try being the key word there.) This is basically a collection of one-shots and drabbles about the next generation, detailing various incidents where they were different from their parents. All of this fic takes place in the same timeline, which all of my HP fics also take place in. The chapters will not be in chronological order, however, so be sure to check the date at the top of each one. I think that's all you need to know, oh wait. It's rated Teen & Up for language and sex references, also a bit of drinking at points. I don't own Harry Potter, or any of its trademarks, but I do take pride in saying that these are all my own personal interpretations of the characters from J.K Rowling's world. Anyway- enjoy! And as always, I love to hear what you think, so please review if you get the chance.

**_Scorpius shares his cake- 17th June 2012._ **

"Happy Birthday to you!" The last notes of the song died out, as Scorpius (upon multiple attempts) blew out the candles on his 6th birthday cake. His parents beamed brightly at their beautiful son. Astoria moved closer to him, and pulled him in for a tight hug, before leaning close to his ear to whisper in it.

"Happy birthday sweetheart, your presents are waiting for you in the library." At this, Scorpius leapt down from their dining table, ever being an excitable child, and ran through the various rooms of Malfoy Manor, until he was stood outside his 2nd favourite room (he did love his bedroom after all). He stood there waiting for his parents to catch up, then upon an encouraging nod from them, pushed open the large double doors of the library.

Scorpius gasped, and his eyes lit up, as he slowly comprehended the sight before him. Sat majestically by the window was a black, gleaming, mahogany, grand piano. He immediately turned around and jumped on his parents, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Although they were of wealth, Draco and Astoria were always certain not to spoil Scorpius. Draco had seen the fruits of children like that in himself, and did not want a repeat. However, their son had started having piano lessons in the last year, and the witch who taught him, was constantly teling Draco and Astoria of Scorpius' natural talent. Every time they were told, Astoria's face glowed with a strong maternal pride, so when she asked if this could be Scorpius' present this year, he could hardly say no.

As Draco mulled this over in his mind, Scorpius already set to work playing a tune for them. He was young, and clearly not the best pianist, but it was clear that with age he would develop to be so much more. He cleared his throat, "You do also have other presents to open, Scorpius."

Scorpius only then noticed the two piles of packages sat on top of the table in the centre of the room. He automatically guessed that one pile was the gifts his father had chosen, and one was the ones his mother had picked. He sat down between Draco and Astoria on the sofa, and got to work on his mum's pile of presents. In it he found copies of some muggle children's books called Matilda and Fantastic Mr. Fox("I know how much you love our story times together, and I thought that these sounded rather interesting. Apparently they're quite famous amongst muggles"), a pair of black trainers ("the shoes that your grandparents buy you are quite conspicuous"), and a fancy writing set from Scrivenshafts.

He thanked his mum and the moved on to his father's pile. He found a boxset of Wizkid comics ("I picked some books that I thought... more age approriate"), a pair of dragonhide gloves, a bludger signed by every member of Puddlemere United ("There are some advantages to those vip Quidditch tickets") and a toy car which was activated to move by magic.

Scorpius thanked his parents once more, and gave them huge hugs. This was shaping out to be a great birthday, and he was still only in his pyjamas!

* * *

In the afternoon, the rest of his family arrived. They all sat round for tea: the Malfoys, the Senior Malfoys, the Senior Greengrasses, and Aunt Daphne, her husband Blaise and their daughter Carmelia. For the second time today, Scorpius found himself blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. He loved getting to spend this time with his family, and he couldn't wait for them to all try the cake that he had snuck into the kitchen last night to especially request. His parents didn't know this of course. As much they were open and accepting of muggles now (well his Dad was slowly getting there), the Malfoys still lived by the precipice that elves were servants and nothing more. They would probably not approve of the fact that Scorpius spent a good hour just chatting to Leela and Tinky. Scorpius was unaware of this though, he just wanted the chocolate cake to be a suprise.

"Go on, try it!" He encouraged everyone, and though slightly confused by his enthusiasm about the cake, everybody began to eat up.

"This is really good!" "I haven't enjoyed a cake like this for a while." "It's ever so rich."

The cake slowly and surely was getting eaten, until when there was only two slices left, he stopped everyone. He then rang the servant's bell, which was quickly noticed, as Leela and Tinky ran upstairs from the kitchen to the dining room.

"Scorpius, is something the matter?" questioned Narcissa.

"What does Master Scorpius need assistance in?" asked Tinky.

Scorpius beamed, "Nothing, I just thought that everybody should see who made my amazing cake! And I saved you some slices, look!" He pointed at the plate in front of him and held it out to the two house elves.

The rest of the room had gone silent, and Blaise was choking on his slice of cake. Draco and Astoria had wide eyes, which only grew wider as they noticed Lucius' dark stare looking at them."Umm, Scorpius... You shouldn't really... Umm... You shouldn't be-"

Draco helped to finish his wife's sentence- "the cake is for wizards and witches not elves. You should enjoy those last slices. Leela and Tinky don't need them."

Scorpius' brow furrowed, as Leela and Tinky repetitively assured him that this was true. Desperate to move the conversation away from the awkward situation his grandson had created, Lucius spoke up. "So. What did you receive for your birthday?"

That put a smile back on the child's face- "Mum and Dad are the best, they got me a piano!"

Everyone in the room smiled and awed, trying to seem as interested as possible. Anything to rid the scene they just saw with the elves.

"I also got some new clothes, and a bludger, oh- and Mum bought me muggle books!"

Once again, the room (which was largely filled with pureblood supremacists) descended into awkardness, and Astoria choked on her tea.

For a kid, Scorpius sure knew how to pick the best things to say to stand out...


	2. Teddy tries to fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Uncle Harry?" (Teddy called him that, though he knew they weren't actually related). "Is it alright if...? Well, if I come flying? With you?" He looked nervous, but a glimmer of hope shone in his (currently) green eyes.
> 
> Harry sighed. In the past he had always said no. However, Teddy was a bit older now, and taller, and Harry was a bit of a pushover when it came to any of the kid's puppy dog eyes. Teddy looked expectantly up at him. With a roll of his eyes, Harry began to grab some extra equipment and smiled at his godson. "Come on then, let's get going."

**_Teddy tries to fly- November 2006_ **

Harry Potter had faced a lot in his 26 years of being alive; but right now he was quite certain of the fact that it had been a long time since he had been this tired. James had just turned 4, Albus was 3 months old and Harry could not for the life of him, remember the feeling of a good night's sleep. This was what had led to their current situation- Harry getting on his Quidditch gear, ready to floo to the Burrow for a stress-relieving fly. He was all set to go when a young voice stopped him.

"Uncle Harry?" (Teddy called him that, though he knew they weren't actually related). "Is it alright if...? Well, if I come flying? With you?" He looked nervous, but a glimmer of hope shone in his (currently) green eyes.

Harry sighed. In the past he had always said no. However, Teddy was a bit older now, and taller, and Harry was a bit of a pushover when it came to any of the kid's puppy dog eyes. Teddy looked expectantly up at him. With a roll of his eyes, Harry began to grab some extra equipment and smiled at his godson. "Come on then, let's get going."

* * *

Within minutes, the pair had gone from the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow, to the Weasley's Quidditch pitch near Ottery St. Catchpole. The speed with which they could travel still bemused the 8 year old Lupin child. Teddy sucked in a deep breath, and then hitched himself up onto one of Harry's spare brooms. Harry's eyes were thoroughly trained on him. Being the son of Nymphadora Tonks meant that he was bound to pick up some of that clumsiness.

"Okay. Now what do I do?" Teddy asked, being sure to relay the message without his nerves showing.

Harry went straight into coach mode. "Alright, Ted. I need you to listen to everything I say, and do exactly that." This was met with a quick nod of response from his godson. "First, you need to lift the front of your broomstick up. Only very slightly though." Teddy, did this, and was raised a few feet off the ground.

"Look at me, Uncle Harry- I'm flying!"

Harry chuckled. What Teddy was doing probably couldn't completely be classified as flying, rather floating. Or hovering. Or another synonym along those lines. However, he did not want to crush the boy's spirit, and congratulated him on his efforts. He then told him the next instructions.

After a half hour of this, Teddy was able to fly around the garden at a reasonable height. He could also stop and start, which Harry knew that not everyone (*cough* Neville *cough*) could manage on their first attempt. Harry was quite impressed to say the least.

"Can we try with a quaffle now?" Teddy asked, excited by the progress he had made. He saw Harry's brow furrow, before he sighed and said, "Come on then."

Teddy was very aware of the fact that since they had brought a quaffle into the equation, Harry was a lot more cautious of how quick they moved and what they did. This just made Teddy want to prove himself even more.

He passed the ball back and forth between himself and his godfather, before they kicked off their brooms and moved into the air. Teddy was scared, now. His hand-eye co-ordination had never been impeccable, but he was determined to show that he could do this. He bit his lip in concentration, and began to fly around the pitch. He then made a turn, and passed the quaffle to Harry. He smiled. That was one successful pass out of the way. He turned his broom so that he was facing his sparring partner properly. He then flew closer, sighing in relief as he managed to catch the quaffle as it was thrown into his possession. They continued this game for a while longer, before Harry suggested that he go into position as keeper, and Teddy attempt to score.

"I'll be sure to go easy on him," thought Harry to himself. "Can't bruise his ego too much."

He soon found that this was unnecessary. Teddy was a natural chaser. He flew rings around Harry- literally! He was ducking and diving from left to right, scoring goal after goal. Harry was amazed- he did not see this coming.

Teddy smirked, "What's the matter, wasn't expecting a kid to be this good?"

"Actually, I was just surprised because neither of your parents could play."

At Harry's mention of his parents, Teddy was momentarily shocked, before giving back a sincere smile. "Somebody's got to bring glory to the Lupin name!" The pair laughed, and returned to their quick-paced game.

* * *

That evening, as they all sat round the Potter's dinner table, the two boys could not stop talking about their afternoon on the Quidditch pitch. Ginny didn't even want to stop them. She smiled, and they continued that way late into the evening before finally, Teddy had to give up and go to sleep.

Ginny went and hugged Harry. "Had a good time then?" His eyes glowed.

"Honestly, Ginny. I swear that these kids are never going to stop suprising me."

And they never did. From that time when Albus told him that he was gay, or when Rose came home with Scorpius on her arm that first time, or Lily getting sorted into Slytherin, or Dom dying her hair dark, or James getting a tattoo.

But Teddy would always be the one to suprise him most. He changed as much as his hair colour; and nobody would change that for the world.


	3. Scorpius' new hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Draco examined his son. The rest of him looked as impeccable as always; but where his nice smooth hair should've been... Was a ruffled mess of blonde, with spikes pointing in every direction. He looked like common folk, which was definitely not the angle they were hoping for. He sighed, it was too late now. They were stood outside the office of Headmistress McGonagall. Astoria smoothed down her skirt, and straightened Scorpius' shirt before knocking on the elaborate door in front of them. It opened, and they went in- ready to impress'

** _Scorpius' new hair- August 2016._ **

**"** You must always look your best Scorpius. There's a whole world around you, whom's graces you must earn."

Grandmother Malfoy had been telling Scorpius that, ever since he could string a sentence together. And for the most part; he believed it. His grandparents had always bought him new dressrobes, and fancy dragonhide gloves, and various other accessories that made him look as pristine as they always did. This cleanliness was reinforced by his Dad's favourite hairstyle (for both himself and Scorpius)- the slick back.

However, unlike his grandparents, his parents did try to make sure that Scorpius didn't look like a complete fool. They tried to buy him as much casual wear and muggle clothes as possible, and keep up to date with the latest fashions. Scorpius didn't really mind what exactly it was that he wore- as long as he was comfortable and looked good.

Scorpius liked to impress. It was just a part of his nature. Most of the time, he kept to himself. He wasn't the best at making friends, which is why how he looked mattered so much to him. People were so quick to judge based on names and appearances. At only 10 years old he was aware of that bitter truth. The odds weren't in his favour when it came to names, but he could change his clothes whenever he wanted to.

Today was a day where first impressions meant everything. Today his parents were taking him to meet Minerva McGonagall- the Headmistress of Hogwarts. Hogwarts didn't require applications or interviews, but families did have the option to 'have tea' with the headmistress a year before their enrolment. This little meeting happened as a means of proving themselves worthy of a place at the prestigious school. For Scorpius, being accepted and appreciated at Hogwarts meant the world to him. He had seen how prejudiced people were towards him, just because of him being a Malfoy. He understood why, of course. His parents had made him aware of the events of the war in the last year. He agreed with people's opinions on what his grandparents did. However, he wanted to be judged on his own merits and actions, not his parents. He had become quieter since learning his family's past, but he had also become encouraged to be something greater.

"Scor, my darling! Hurry up- The Portkey is in 10 minutes!"

Scorpius examined himself in his mirror. He'd tried to go for a smart-casual vibe. He had on a muggle button-up shirt (grey to highlight his unusual eye colour), a pair of smart trousers, and a newly waxed pair of shoes that his grandfather had bought him. He smiled. The only thing left was his hair. He stared at the pot of hair gel on his dresser. If he were to do exactly what he'd always done, he could be pinned as predictable. He'd also look too much like his father to prove otherwise. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he rummaged his brain for ideas. Then it came to him...

"Scorpius, we need to leave now, are you-"

His father paused as he saw his son emerge from the staircase. His eyes widened.

"What in Merlin's name have you done to your hair?!" he roared. Scorpius frowned.

Astoria sighed as she grabbed her boys and pulled them towards the plastic container which was their portkey. "No time to change anything now, let's go!"

Draco examined his son. The rest of him looked as impeccable as always; but where his nice smooth hair should've been... Was a ruffled mess of blonde, with spikes pointing in every direction. He looked like common folk, which was definitely not the angle they were hoping for. He sighed, it was too late now. They were stood outside the office of Headmistress McGonagall. Astoria smoothed down her skirt, and straightened Scorpius' shirt before knocking on the elaborate door in front of them. It opened, and they went in- ready to impress

* * *

"So, Scorpius. Have you done much magic throughout your childhood?" Mcgonnagall asked as she stirred her tea.

Scor gulped. "Umm, well yes. If I think about things that make me very excited or angry, magic usually happens." His parents gave him an encouraging smile, urging him to demonstrate. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, bringing to the forefront of his memory, an image of his grandfather throwing his favourite book to the floor. As he did so, the box of sweets on the table opened. The headmistress smiled.

"Very impressive. Now tell me... what are you most looking forward to about studying at Hogwarts?"

"I'm really looking forward to seeing the library and reading as much as I can from it- I love reading. I'm excited to make friends from other backgrounds and families. Oh- and I'd very much like to get taught by some of the greatest wizards and witches in history!"

Minerva smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. After a set more of questions, she found herself smiling more and more. He was nothing like his father was at that age. He was smart, but also witty, and he was lively and excitable. He was open yet he had a discernment as such that he knew exactly what was approriate to say. He had a maturity beyond his years. However, what Minerva Mcgonnagall found most interesting about the Malfoy boy was his passion and independence. He got so into whatever it was he was talking about, his hands flailing everywhere (and his hair following suit). Aah his hair. It was one of the things that brought his independence to life. It was very clear that his parents had not done that. But he showed independence in other ways too, after that initial nod from them, he didn't stop for their approval once. He kept on, at the pace of a charm, flying about in his words. The Hogwarts Headmistress found herself liking him more and more.

At the end of the chat, The Malfoys rose to exit. They turned round once more to address the professor. "Thank you so much for this. It means a lot to us to have this opportunity to redeem our names. You know, after the war and all."

She nodded back at them. "Well with Scorpius at this school, I think your opportunity will be used to your full advantage." she turned to Scorpius. "By the way- I love the hair."

Scorpius smiled brightly. Today had been a good day. Maybe he'd style his hair by himself more often.


	4. Lily gets detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Lily. Our sister," they both said in unison. Al continued. "You haven't seen her have you?"
> 
> Then to the Potter boys' surprise she started laughing. "Why yes, I have seen her. She's sat in my office doing a detention for inappropriate conduct within the school."
> 
> James stood up in surprise. "What? Lily got detention? What did she do?!"

**_Lily gets detention (March 2021)_ **

James strolled into the Great Hall looking marginally confused. He waltzed up to a table (they could sit on any of the 4 now when it wasn't a special occassion) and plopped himself down on a bench next to his little brother. "You haven't seen Lily, have you Al?" he questioned the middle Potter, whose face was stuffed with food.

"Nah, I haven't. I went down to the dungeons this morning and checked her common room but she wasn't around."

James screwed up his face. "Hold on, who let you in the Slytherin dorms?"

Albus smirked. "Linzey Carvello. I asked her if she knew where Lily was, and she said she didn't. She had this weird little grin on her face though."

"Strange." He chewed the inside of his lip. "Where the hell would she be first thing on a Saturday morning?"

Al swallowed his food and then looked at his brother. "Why you so desperate to find Lils anyway?"

He sighed. "I was gonna take her to Hogsmeade for the day. Buy her some new stuff. Just thought it'd be nice you know. Freddie and Roxy are always spending time together- just felt like we should value family more. Especially with it being my last year at Hogwarts and all."

Al nodded then he also sighed. "Where could she be?"

At that moment, Professor Blackwell (head of Slytherin) walked past. "Are you boys alright? Who are you looking for?"

"Lily. Our sister," they both said in unison. Al continued. "You haven't seen her have you?"

Then to the Potter boys' surprise she started laughing. "Why yes, I have seen her. She's sat in my office doing a detention for inappropriate conduct within the school."

James stood up in surprise. "What? Lily got detention? What did she do?!"

* * *

_(The previous evening. Outside the Slytherin dungeons.)_

_She was breathing heavily as her lips moved against his, her arms flung around his shoulders holding him firmly in position. He tried to pull away, but she pulled him back in closer. He took her arms off him and held them to her side. She frowned up at the boy opposite her. "Why did you stop? I was having fun." Her lips moved into a cheeky smile as she said this._

_"So was I," said the boy (known as Josh Corner) as he pulled his hand through his hair, "but we probably shouldn't be doing this."_

_Lily shrugged. "Kissing a cute guy is hardly a punishable offence."_

_Josh paused. "So I'm cute then?... No. Stop. That's besides the point. You're Lily Potter. Albus is in my year. He'd kill me if he found out I was doing anything to dent his baby sister's innocence."_

_"I'm hardly a baby!" Lily scoffed. "And anyway, you're a Ravenclaw- you and and Albie aren't even in the same house."_

_Josh wanted to consider her reasoning, especially with the way she was pulling herself in closer to lay her hand on his chest. However he regained his posture. "What about James. He's a seventh year. And he was Gryffindor Quidditch Captain for the last two years. He could pummel me in a heartbeat."_

_Lily laughed a tuneful laugh. "Let's stop talking about my brothers for a bit, and focus on... More important matters." Her voice drawled as she slowly whispered the last few words in his ear. She then started to kiss him. He tried to resist, but then he wasn't wanting to anymore. Within seconds Lily was pressed with her back to the wall, and her lips once more moving enthusiastically against Josh's. There was nothing that could make them stop. Well, they thought there wasn't._

_"Ahem," a voice coughed from behind them. They immediately pulled away as they recognised the tone. They gulped, then spun around to face Professor Blackwell._

_"Professor, Hi. We weren't doing anything... Umm, shit. I mean shoot. Oh Merlin, please. We were just talking," Josh spluttered._

_Lily remained completely calm where she stood, as Professor Blackwell laughed._

_"Is that what you kids are calling it now? In my day, it was just known as kissing." She became more serious. "Ten points from both your houses. Lily, I'll be expecting you in my office at 9am sharp for your detention, and Josh- I will be having a word with Professor Flitwick."_

_The two students both nodded, then briskly walked back to their respective dorms._

* * *

"WHAT?!" both James and Al were fuming. They both looked at each other with a knowing look, then stormed back to the Gryffindor tower to get their wands so as to hex that boy to oblivion.

They practically yelled the password at the Fat Lady, and stormed into the common room. Before they could get to their dorms though, they were stopped.

"What's got your Kneazles in a twist?" Rose asked, briefly looking up from the game of Exploding Snap she was playing with Roxanne and Scorpius.

Albus went red with anger. "Lily has been kissing boys! In school! My little, innocent, 2nd year sister, has been taken advantage of by older guys."

The three stopped their game to look at the Potter boys. "You're not serious are you? That's why you're pissed off?"

Albus nodded furiously, then something unexpected happened. They burst out laughing.

James stepped in. "Why the hell are you laughing?! This isn't a bloody joke. Guys are using Lily for their own means!"

Roxy clutched her stomach as she explained. "You do know that your 'innocent' sister is the one instigating it, right?"

Rose continued, "And you do know that this is the 4th detention she's got this year because of it?"

The boys looked utterly confused. "Wait... What? You're lying!"

Scorpius piped up. "Of course we're not. She followed me around, the whole of December trying to catch me under mistletoe."

And that's when it became real. Both James and Albus simultaneously crashed onto the sofa, with a look of plain daze in their eyes.

Roxy laughed, "Someone get these guys a drink. They've only just had the realisation that their sister isn't exactly what they expected her to be."


	5. Molly's Walk of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'As she slowly regained consciousness, Molly was becoming aware of two things. One, she had a ghastly hangover, and two, she was extremely naked in that moment. She groaned into her auburn frizz of hair that was splayed across the pillow. Then she became aware of something else- the arm that was draped across her lower back (it felt nice, but she was hardly going to admit that.) She sighed and took a breath.'

_Molly's Walk of Shame (April 2022)_

As she slowly regained consciousness, Molly was becoming aware of two things. One, she had a ghastly hangover, and two, she was extremely naked in that moment. She groaned into her auburn frizz of hair that was splayed across the pillow. Then she became aware of something else- the arm that was draped across her lower back (it felt nice, but she was hardly going to admit that.) She sighed and took a breath.

"Look, I don't quite remember who it is whose bed I'm in, but I'm really hoping you have some Pepper Up potion."

The body next to her moved closer and leant on her shoulder. "There's some in the bathroom cupboard." Oh shit. She recognised that voice. She pulled the duvet further over her head and groaned more. He laughed.

"Seriously! Of everyone I could've slept with last night, why you?!" He laughed next to her.

"Let's be honest Moll. You've never been able to resist me."

"I hate you, David." That was a lie. David Forenby had been a friend of Molly's for years. He was in the year above her at Hogwarts and was one of her favourite members of Ravenclaw house. She was a Gryffindor, but all the houses interacted these days. Also he'd looked after Lucy, and she'd always be grateful to him for that. The only problem was, he was now part of the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry; headed up by none other than Percy Weasley. Her father.

He kissed her shoulder, and pulled her in closer. "No you don't. If you really did you wouldn't still be here."

Molly's head snapped up. "David- I don't even remember how I got here, how would I have managed to get home?"

He shrugged. "You've flooed drunk many times before. Don't give me that look, I know you too well."

Molly looked up to the ceiling in despair. "What did I do?"

David smirked, "I'll happily remind you." That earned him a slap. "Ow! I guess I deserved that."

She rolled over to look at him. They needed to talk about this, but then her head reminded her of the amount of firewhiskey she consumed last night. Ugh. "First things first, get the bloody Pepper Up. My head hurts like a horcrux."

He nodded and began to get out of bed. That was when Molly remembered his nakedness. "Merlin! Put some clothes on." He rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to comment, but from the look in her eyes he decided to just put on some boxers and get the Potion. Lord knows he could do with some too.

After he had returned, and they had both livened up again, they sat up together in the bed, Molly firmly wrapped up in the duvet. She hadn't yet been able to track down her clothes. They simultaneously sighed. "So..." "So."

"Okay. I need to remember last night and how we ended up in this... predicament." She looked at David and he nodded. "So we were at Aurelia's party- at the Dragon's nest. Everyone was taking shots of Potter-ale. Though I still don't get why they named a drink after Uncle Harry. Not the most common way of honouring a war hero. Anyway- back to last night. We were doing shots as a group, then you said-"

"Let's get out of here. Grab a bottle of firewhiskey and we'll head to mine." David repeated his own words from the night before as Molly slowly remembered their conversation.

"We sat and talked for a while. We were discussing your job at the ministry, and about how I should stop working at the shop and get a real job, and Hogwarts memories and then you... Well you..."

They looked each other straight in the eyes. Then David spoke up, "Then I did this." He then leaned in and kissed her, his hands steadying her face. It was soft and sweet, lasting only a few seconds- exactly the same as the night before.

"Then I did this," Molly pulled his face back to hers, furiously kissing him. Her hands pulled his hair to bring him closer to her, and his arms locked around her waist. She moved one leg over both of his so that she was straddling him. "Then this," she said as she began trailing kisses down his neck, her hands tracing his well toned muscles. She sucked at the base of his neck making him groan and hold her then flipped them over and did the same to her.

He pulled away. "Then I said, This doesn't change anything, right?"

She nodded in response.

* * *

Molly apparated into their front garden, and took a deep breath before entering her house. She walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, then went and sat on the sofa in their living room.

Lucy was sat on the window seat with her legs crossed, surrounded by various pieces of paperwork. She pushed up her glasses and smiled. "Good night then?" she asked.

Molly rolled her eyes at her twin. "Shh you. But yes, I had a fantastic night, thank you very much."

Lucy laughed. "Glad to hear it, since it was probably your last good night out. Dad is fuming." This made Molly sigh. "I did remind him that you are 20 years old and you can be trusted to make your own decisions, but you can probably guess what he said next."

The girls simultaneously echoed their father's recurring words. "If you think that working in that ridiculous shop with your Uncle is a good option- those seven years of high quality education went to waste."

"How many times have I told him, it's just a placeholder. I need time to work out what I'm doing." She finished her water and slammed the glass on the coffee table as she got up. "Better get this over and done with. The study?"

Lucy nodded, not even looking up from her sums.

Molly dragged herself up the stairs, and knocked on the door of her father's study.

"Enter," she scoffed at his formality as she opened the door.

"Aah, Molly. You eventually made it home then." She could hear the snark oozing out his voice. He was a good father, and was a lot kinder than in his youth (or so his siblings said.), but right now- he was pissed off.

Molly remained confident. "Yeah, after the party, I ended up at a friend's house. It was late, so I stayed the night."

"Of course, and this friend happened to have no spare bed, so you just shacked up in bed with him?"

"Never said it was a him." Percy glared at his daughter. "Oh come on Dad, we were drunk, it was a party, these things happen. It's not like I've never done it before." She could see her father cringing, but she found it rather amusing. "I love you Dad- but you really don't need to make a fuss over this."

"NOT MAKE A FUSS?!" His voice ascended. "I'm a highly valued ministry official- I could get this boy fired for taking advantage of a Weasley. Especially one in a vulnerable state."

Molly chuckled and muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, only if you want to lose one of your best workers."

"I highly doubt that-"

Molly blushed. "It was David."

Percy went quiet. "Umm... Wait but... How?... Uh," he stammered out.

"Tell you what though. He's a great worker, but he's also an incredible lover."

That was it. Molly Weasley had stunned her father into silence. She smiled as she nodded and walked away.

Lucy caught her as she came down the stairs. "You look smug."

"I am."

"You say that now, but Mum isn't home yet!"

Molly swore and held her head, as Lucy laughed hers off. This was going to be a long day.


	6. Scorpius gets sorted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Ah, another Malfoy boy. The hat's voice was surprisingly calming, even if it did have an ominous ring about it. Not what everyone was expecting though. So different from your father, well in some ways. You've got his looks definitely. Some would deem that fortunate. "Wow, it's witty for a hat," thought Scorpius. And you definitely have that Slytherin worthy ambition. At the mention of Slytherin he froze. Ah, I see. You wish to be different from your family. How very brave of you, almost Gryffindor-esque. You certainly have the brains of a Ravenclaw, but also the kind heart of a Hufflepuff. What a difficult decision this is shaping out to be. Wait, there's something else. A fire. A passion that burns bright inside you, and because of that... It's going to have to be..."'

** _Scorpius Gets Sorted (1st September 2017)_ **

As they stepped out on Platform 9 3/4, Scorpius took in a big breath. This was one of the biggest days of his life so far, his first at Hogwarts. He could sense anticipation in the air, even through the massive clouds of smoke the train emitted. Families swarmed the station, with wizards milling about left, right and centre. He saw many faces he didn't recognise, but amongst those a few he did. He spotted his cousin Carmelia, Tara Wood (daughter of the Puddlemere manager), and he swore that he could see the the turquoise hair of his cousin Teddy Lupin, with the hands of a blonde girl running through it. He couldn't be sure though, he'd only seen said cousin a handful of times.

As he finished looking round, he turned back to his parents. His father was gazing intently at someone, and Scorpius followed his eyesight to find none other than Harry Potter. His father nodded solemnly. "I owe that man a lot, Scorpius. Without him, I'd be in Azkaban."

Frowning at her husband's dark tone, Astoria knelt down next to Scorpius. "It looks like he has a son in your year. Maybe you could try and become friends... Actually. Forget I said that, you can make friends with whoever you like." She smiled as she pulled Scorpius in for a tight hug. He held her close, whilst trying to sneak a look at the famous family across the station.

"Umm, Dad," Scorpius hesitated, "Why is Ron Weasley glaring at you?"

Draco Malfoy scoffed from behind him. "I see the Weasel hasn't changed much. I know I said I owe Potter. His best friends on the other hand... Leave little to be desired." He began to flail his arms around, gesturing wildly at the Weasley man. "Look, he's probably warning his daughter about you! Saying that any son of mine is worth looking out for. Incorrigible. She'll be smart, Scorpius- that's a guarantee, but remember; you're smarter." He was confused by his father's words, but nodded nonetheless.

Scorpius faced his father once more. "Come on, quickly give me a hug before people notice that the Malfoys are here. Wouldn't want any of our past discrepancies ruining your first day." Draco pulled his son in close for a hug, before giving him his trunk and waving him off. Scorpius climbed onto the train, and got into the first empty compartment he found. He pulled his copy of Hogwarts: A History out and sat down to bury his nose in it.

A knock on the door distracted him. He looked up to see two heads peering into the compartment. He could hear the boy subtly trying to whisper in her ear 'but your dad', and Scorpius found the way she ignored him amusing. The girl spoke up, "Do you mind if we sit in here with you?"

Scorpius smiled and nodded, "Be my guest."

The two came in and sat down, "Thanks, I don't think I could stand the journey if I was sat next to my brother," said the boy, whose messy dark hair and startlingly green eyes strongly resembled his father's.

The girl cleares her thfoat before stating, "I'm Rose and this is Al."

"What- no last names?" he smirked.

She laughed tunefully. Scorpius watched her and couldn't help but be amazed by just how red her hair was. Weasleys truly were easy to spot.

"I'm Scorpius."

"What- no last name?" she quipped, referencing his earlier remark. He smiled at her as she cheekily smirked.

"So," asked Al, "What house are you hoping for?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Anything will do." (Except Slytherin, he added to himself). "I don't really mind."

Albus nodded, thinking of something to say next. Seemingly not finding anything, he delved into the pocket of his jeans. "Exploding Snap?"

Scorpius smiled in agreement and put his book down. The rest of the journey continued like that, playing card games and making idle chat. He found himself quite liking the trio they had formed. He smiled to himself. A trio with the kids of the Golden Trio; how wonderfully cliche. He did like them though. In the space of a few hours he discovered that Al being 3 years James' junior was constantly teased, Rose shared his love of reading, they were 2 of 10 Weasley- Potter cousins (not including Teddy Lupin or Kyle Dursley), Albus was humble, Rose was determined, but most importantly; they were both fiercely loyal. He was beyond happy: somehow the boy who found it difficult to make friends, had already made two before arriving at Hogwarts.

* * *

"Ah righ', firs' years this way!" boomed the voice of Hagrid. Rose grabbed Scorpius' hand dragging him through the crowds on Hogsmeade station to get close to the big man. As they got closer, Al called out to him.

Hagrid's face beamed down at him with a proud smile. "Al, Rosie, was wonderin' when I'd see you kids here. And why I never. Yer mus' be Malfoy's boy." Scorpius suddenly became very transfixed with his own feet as he thought he heard Hagrid mumble something along the lines of "Ron ain' gonna like tha'" He gulped. They continued to walk, until soon enough they had arrived at the boats.

Scorpius had been blessed with the opportunity to see many amazing things in his 11 years, but nothing would top this. Hogwarts was illuminating; magnificent as it stood there tall and proud. The light of the candles in his and his fellow classmates' hands was reflected in the calm water below them. It only intensified the aura of mystery and hope that surrounded the school. Scorpius couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Alright children, we will be entering the Great Hall any moment now, so look sharp!" announced Professor Flitwick, the deputy head. The gaggle of first years all began to straighten their uniforms upon hearing this, and Scor could see Albus next to him trying to calm his hair somehow. Then the large double doors in front of them opened, and he thought he could've heard a pin drop, with the way the group were silenced so quickly.

The Great Hall was beautiful, and it was above all his expectations. There were four house tables, each heavily adorned with their house colours. The top of the room was met with the teacher's table where he could see all four heads of houses, other various members of staff, the head boy and girl (whom he recognised to be Teddy's canoodling partner from the station), the infamous Filch, and in the middle of it all was Headmistress Mcgonagall. A few metres in front of this table was a lone stool, upon which sat an old, crinkly hat. Scorpius gulped: This was it.

After the head's speech and the hat's song. It was time for the sorting ceremony to begin. Professor Flitwick unravelled the scroll before calling out "Morgan, Ainsley." The small blonde girl looked almost as nervous as Scorpius felt. She shook as she sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. After a few moments, the hat declared "Gryffindor!" The room burst into applause.

The sorting continued like this as child after child got up, and Scorpius soon got lost in the ritual, until-

"Scorpius Malfoy."

He took a deep breath to calm himself, before taking his seat on the stool.

 _Ah, another Malfoy boy._ The hat's voice was surprisingly calming, even if it did have an ominous ring about it. _Not what everyone was expecting though. So different from your father, well in some ways. You've got his looks definitely. Some would deem that fortunate._ "Wow, it's witty for a hat," thought Scorpius. _And you definitely have that Slytherin worthy ambition._ At the mention of Slytherin he froze. _Ah, I see. You wish to be different from your family. How very brave of you, almost Gryffindor-esque. You certainly have the brains of a Ravenclaw, but also the kind heart of a Hufflepuff. What a difficult decision this is shaping out to be. Wait, there's something else. A fire. A passion that burns bright inside you, and because of that... It's going to have to be..."_

"Gryffindor!"

Scorpius smiled, the shock still etched on his face. The rest of the room were obviously in shock too, evident from the fact that a silence had come to rest over the Great Hall. Scorpius got up and began to make his way to his house table, as people slowly began to clap.

Soon enough, Albus and Rose had also joined him, and the feast had got into full swing. The food tasted absolutely incredible and Scorpius thought he would have to go thank the chefs himself at some point. He also tried to make conversation with the other members of his house, and he found himself having plenty in common with them. There was Ian Coulson, who was also a fan of the Wimbourne Wasps, Annabel Ricen, a muggleborn who also grew up reading Roahl Dahl. There were others too. He liked Al and Rose best though. He sighed, his Dad probably wouldn't be thrilled, and from the glares he was getting from some of the Weasley cousins, he could tell their family may not approve either. Oh well, Scorpius always loved a challenge. He was going to prove that he deserved his place in this house.

* * *

That night, once settled into the Gryffindor dorms, Scorpius wrote a letter.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I'm already loving it here at Hogwarts. I was sorted into Gryffindor, please don't be disappointed. I think the Sorting Hat made the right decision. I've made friends too; they're Albus Potter and Rose Weasley though. I honestly think that they could be friends for life. Dad, please stop rolling your eyes at this. As always, I love you and will do my best to make you proud.  
_

_Your son, Scorpius.  
_

Astoria clutched the letter to her heart and smiled. "Oh Scorpius, we're always proud of you."


	7. Victoire's acts of kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Victoire woke up that morning feeling extremely excited. Not as one would expect, because it was her 7th birthday, but for another reason entirely. Today, she would boycott her birthday. She knew that this day made her family sad because of things that happened before she was born, and this year she didn't want to see their forced smiles as they sang 'Happy Birthday', this year she wouldn't celebrate until she got every member of her family to smile. That was the mission.'

** _Victoire's Acts of Kindness (2nd May 2007)_ **

Victoire woke up that morning feeling extremely excited. Not as one would expect, because it was her 7th birthday, but for another reason entirely. Today, she would boycott her birthday. She knew that this day made her family sad because of things that happened before she was born, and this year she didn't want to see their forced smiles as they sang 'Happy Birthday', this year she wouldn't celebrate until she got every member of her family to smile. That was the mission. She smiled and jumped out of bed: time to get started. Victoire's room was on the top floor of Shell Cottage (she'd slowly gone up the flights as her siblings were born), and she happily skipped down the stairs until she got to the living room. She saw the pile of presents sat on the coffee table; and she ignored it, wandering into the kitchen to find her family. She found her mother stood over the oven cooking breakfast and her father sat at the table with a copy of that morning's Daily Prophet. They both looked at the doorway and smiled at her as they heard her walk in.

"Happy Birthday, my gorgeous girl."

"Bon Anniversaire, my darling."

She looked at her family. The she slowly shook her head. Bill and Fleur looked at each other in confusion. Bill put down his newspaper and spoke up. "What's the matter, Victoire?"

Victoire's face was plastered a cheeky grin. "Nothing. It's just not my birthday yet."

Fleur furrowed her brow as she looked at the calendar on their wall. "It's definitely the 2nd May, Vic. And that's definitely the day you were born, I remember it clearly."

The little girl shrugged. "It may be the 2nd May, but I say it's not my birthday yet. So I don't want any special treatment. Now: Mum. Do you need any help making breakfast? I could whisk the eggs for you."

Her parents looked at her in shock, before Fleur broke into a warm smile. "That would be really helpful actually." Victoire also smiled. One down, and about... twenty more to go. She got up on a stool and went to help her mum. As she did, she heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she saw her little sister Dominique stood there looking very tired. She was 4 years old, had her hair in bunches, and due to the fact that she was chubbier than a child of her heritage was expected to be, her tummy poked out of her pyjamas.

The younger girl smiled up at her big sister. "Hap-"

She was cut off with a loud, "Not yet!" from Victoire, leaving the poor girl confused. This was going to be difficult to explain to everyone. She sighed. This may take longer than she had anticipated.

* * *

Soon enough, things seemed to be back on track. She had made Louis smile (which wasn't that hard considering that he was a 3 year old), and Dominique (she'd given her favourite colouring set to her to keep forever.); she'd even got her Dad to smile (she said that she would stay with him forever and never get married.) but as they prepared to go to the Burrow, she sighed thinking of all the people who'd be there.

Every year on this day, there was a ceremony at Hogwarts, to celebrate their triumph, but also mourn the lost. The day had become a national holiday for Wizards and many would spend the rest of the day after the ceremony together as a family. This is why they were all going to the Burrow. Even Uncle Charlie would be there, and he only visits every few months. With having such young children, and it being Victoire's birthday, Bill and Fleur tended not to go to the ceremony. However, it was now midday and they were all getting ready to floo over to the big Devon family home.

"Vic, come down, it's time to go!" Her mother called up the stairs.

She came downstairs, put some robes over her t-shirt and jeans, grabbed her rucksack, and they went in the fireplace as it glowed green.

The first thing Victoire noticed when she got to the Burrow was the smell of roast ham, as well as the distant scent of an apple pie. Apparently, it was Uncle Fred's favourite dinner, which is why it was what they always ate on this day. The next thing she noticed was the distinct lack of the usual Weasley buzz. She frowned. It was the same every year.

She wandered out of the fireplace and went into the kitchen to see her grandmother stood at the sink, washing a pan the muggle way. She ran up behind her and hugged her, Victoire's small hands firmly wrapped around her grandmother's stomach. Molly jumped and turned to see who it was.

"Victoire, hello darling. I was just getting everything ready for lunch. Happy Birth"- she was cut off by her granddaughter's hands covering her mouth.

"Not yet, Granny!" Molly looked confused, but accepted it nonetheless. "I brought you something," at this, Victoire put her hands into the pockets of her robes and pulled out a small apple. "I thought you could use it to decorate your special pie." She beamed up at her grandmother as she held the apple up to her. Much to her surprise, and disappointment, the Weasley woman in front of her began to tear up. "No, please don't cry. I was trying to help. I wanted to make you smile, it was supposed to be a gift to make you happy," The words flew out at a rapid pace, trying to justify her actions.

Then suprising her even more, she began to laugh. Victoire looked confused. "I love it. I just wasn't expecting anything from the birthday girl." She held the little girl close for a while, before letting her go and talk to everyone else.

Victoire decided that all the children would be the best bet to tackle next. There was Teddy Lupin (who was 9), and then her seven younger cousins whose ages ranged from the youngest (Albus) at 9 months old, to the oldest except her (Molly and Lucy) who were nearly 5 1/2. Teddy was easy to make smile. She simply had to give him a kiss on the cheek and he was sorted. The others though. How did she go about making them all smile at the same time. She took in a deep breath. She was going to have to make herself look stupid. She opened her mouth and began to make up a song about the Weasley/Potter brood, much to the amusement of everyone else there. All of the children burst into laughter, including the birthday girl herself.

After she had finished, Teddy -her best friend in the world- pulled her in for a hug. "Happy Birthday Tor," he was grinning from ear to ear as he spoke, "That song was really some-" Yet another person was cut off by Victoire.

She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. "I'll tell you everything, but you have to help me with my plan." Teddy nodded.

With two people working together, the task became a lot easier and within just over an hour, they were exceedingly close to being able to celebrate Victoire's birthday. There was only one relative left- Uncle George. This was going to be the tricky one. However, Victoire had inherited her father's brains, and had a scheme all planned out. She ran upstairs to the bathroom to get into her gear (which she had somehow sneaked past her parents).

* * *

George was trying his best, he really was. It had been 9 years since the war and he had made a life for himself, he even had two beautiful children. The 2nd of May would always be hard though. Always. He felt bad that he ruined his niece's birthday like that, but he couldn't help the sadness that washed over him. He was thinking about his brother when Victoire emerged down the stairs in a small, green, dragon-hide suit. George eyed her carefully. "What are you wearing?"

The little girl in front of him beamed. "A suit. Like Uncle Fred's on the front of your shop. I thought that maybe I could be your new business partner for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" George stood there incredulously for a moment, as his oldest niece just stood there waiting for a response. He blinked a few times and ran his hands through his hair before reaching one of them out to her.

He smiled. "Deal."

Victoire jumped up and down in celebration. "Finally! Now we can get started. Cake first, and then presents don't you think?" Her family all looked at her like she was crazy but she didn't care. She had performed an act of kindness towards everyone in her family, and for once, they were all genuinely happy on her birthday. And that was the ultimate present.


	8. James' Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'James bounded down the stairs; his hair messy, without a shirt, but with a huge smile on his face. "Morning all!"
> 
> His family all turned to stare at him as Albus sniggered. "Someone got laid last night."
> 
> Harry went to yell at Albus, but before he could, James had plopped himself down into his seat and had begun to talk. "Indeed I did, my little brother, and it was such a glorious shag, I dare say that it could've turned even you."'

**_James' Surprise (29th December 2021)_ **

The Potters sat down together at their dining table that morning and were enjoying a breakfast of pancakes. The crisp winter sunshine streamed in through the windows of their Godric's Hollow home. Lily was already dressed, Albus had piled more food on to his plate than it could handle, and the oldest Potter child had yet to make an appearance. This was a typical morning. Well it was until James came down downstairs.

The family were enjoying their usual casual breakfast conversation, when James bounded down the stairs; his hair messy, without a shirt, but with a huge smile on his face. "Morning all!"

His family all turned to stare at him as Albus sniggered. "Someone got laid last night."

Harry went to yell at Albus, but before he could, James had plopped himself down into his seat and had begun to talk. "Indeed I did, my little brother, and it was such a glorious shag, I dare say that it could've turned even you."

"I'M DATING ARIADNE, REMEMBER?! A FEMALE!" Al screamed, nearly spilling his water everywhere. James retaliated, and even Lily was about to get involved before Ginny cut in.

"SHUT UP. It's too bloody early for this! James- stop being such a vulgar prick, Al- don't get angry at your brother."

The boys mumbled their apologies to their mother, and went back to concentrating on the food on the table.

Lily huffed. Ginny put down her cutlery and looked at her daughter. "What is it?"

"Why is it that James is allowed to just bring some random girl home to sleep with, but I get in trouble for even flirting with a boy?" Harry gulped at his youngest child's question and struggled to come up with an answer.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well technically, we didn't give James permission."

James scoffed, and quickly swallowed his pancake. "I'm 19- I don't need permission. Also you're just a kid, and boys will take advantage of the fact that you're a Potter." Albus nodded in agreement. "And Besides, I didn't just bring some _random girl_ home."

His parents glared at him questioningly, but before he had the chance to explain, Harry and Ginny heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. "Morning Mr and Mrs Potter. Al, Lily."

* * *

Tara poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice and pulled up a spare chair. She was wearing one of James' Quidditch jerseys, and tight fitting leggings. Her long brown hair was loose; and not so subtly trying to hide the hickeys on her neck. The entire Potter clan, bar James, sat there in complete astonishment before Al broke the silence. "How the fuck did that happen?" Ginny berated Al but Tara just laughed.

Harry uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "Umm, James, can I talk to you a minute? We'll go in the kitchen" He didn't wait for a response but got up and made his way towards the next room. Once they were in there, Harry shut the door and began to pace up and down. He stopped directly in front of his son before hitting him round the head with the newspaper next to him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Harry glared at him before slowly raising his voice. "Are you bloody mad?!"

James looked confused; his jaw hung open. "Dad, you know I'm not a virgin, and I've brought girls home before, I don't see why this is a problem."

Harry rubbed his forehead vigorously. "James, tell me who that is out there."

"You already know," James laughed. He stopped when he saw his father's expression. He sighed before continuing, "Tara Wood, Beater for Puddlemere United, fellow Gryffindor, one of my best mates. Look- you've known her for years. We just got a bit carried away last night and had sex. We used contraceptive charms... Dad I really don't get why you're freaking out about this."

"James. Think through those facts you stated. Think through them and see why I'm worried for your safety," James continued to look confused. "Her dad, Jay. Oliver Wood. Oliver Wood is her father!" His son gestured with his hands for Harry to keep at his point. "Oliver Wood. One of the fiercest men Quidditch has ever seen. He has a temper about him. Did I ever tell you about the time he said he'd rather I die than us lose the cup? Well he did. James he's going to castrate you if he thinks you've even thought about his daughter, and it's pretty evident that you've done damn well more than that!"

"It's fine though, how will he find out?"

"Half her neck is bruised you idiot."

"Yeah, but he's not gonna know it was me. Dad, stay calm about this. It's hardly likely that he'll have her tracked or something."

Harry gulped. "Actually..."

Suddenly, there were loud bangs on the front door. Both Potter men twisted around to the noise. "JAMES SIRIUS POTTER, IF MY DAUGHTER IS IN THERE, YOU BETTER GET RUNNING!" The thick Scottish tone sounded angrier than James had ever heard it, and he started to panic.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Each time he said the word his voice ascended slightly.

Ginny popped her head round the door. "Oliver is here, shall I let him in?"

"Merlin, No!"

Tara then came into the kitchen too. "James, it's fine. He won't actually kill you. The worst he's ever done to any of my boyfriends is a week in hospital."

James' eyes widened. "A whole week! And I'm not even your boyfriend. This was just a casual fuck! I'm gonna die."

"Potter, you're trying my patience..."

James panicked once more. "I'm going into hiding. See you later!" And before his parents could protest, he had yanked his wand out of his tracksuit bottoms, and apparated away.

Tara rolled her eyes, "So much for Gryffindor bravery."

The Potter adults wandered back into the dining room, and Albus and Lily gave each other a knowing look whilst simultaneously exclaiming that James was a twat. Ginny let Oliver in, who looked increasingly confused as he realised James wasn't there.

"Dad, I got drunk at that party last night, and since I was close to here and in no position to apparate, Mrs Potter kindly let me stay the night."

It was clear that the Puddlemere manager didn't believe his daughter, but he pretended he did anyway. After some awkward attempt at conversation between him and Harry, and a reassurance from Tara that she would be home that afternoon, Oliver Wood made his way to the front door.

Lily walked him to the door, and as he stepped outside, she leaned out. "He'll be at Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's. You're welcome." She slammed the door and walked back into her house; a wide smirk gracing her features. James was an idiot. A horny, ridiculous, predictable idiot. Lily laughed to herself. "Ah, the joys of having older brothers."


	9. Dominique makes a bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Dominique placed the bar of chocolate on the table and left. And Victoire was so wrapped up in her problems that she failed to notice the new diamond bracelet on her sister's wrist; or the matching necklace; or the new pair of Converse on her feet. Or the fact that the chocolate in front of her was the most expensive that Honeydukes offered...'

** _Dominique Makes A Bet (November 2017)_ **

"Miss Weasley, could I see you in my office for a moment? And if you see Mr Lemarque on your way, bring him with you."

Victoire nodded at the Headmistress, and set about finding her fellow head before making their way to the magnificent office of Minerva McGonagall. As many times as she had seen it since being at Hogwarts, she was always fascinated by it. Every single time she would discover something new. Now was not the time for exploration though, she could see that on the Headmistress' face.

"Is everything alright, Professor?" asked John, the Slytherin who had been made Head Boy this year.

McGonagall sighed. "Not really, my boy," the two students straightened in their chairs to seem more attentive. "You two have been excellent heads so far, but here is your first challenge. Somebody has started a betting ring at Hogwarts. I have encountered many students who are claiming to have lost money, and other teachers are telling me of students acting competitive and hostile towards each other."

Victoire raised an eyebrow, "And you don't know who started it?"

The Headmistress frowned. "No. None of the students who are seemingly involved seem to be willing to give up the name of their conspirator. That's where you two come in. I need you to get right in there, find out who it is."

"You want us to spy on our fellow students?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley, that's exactly what I want you to do."

It had been a week since their meeting with the Headmistress, and neither John nor Victoire were any closer to finding the culprit. They had asked students where they could bet, kept asking people for random change... It seemed like everyone had been gambling about something, kids from every house, and none of them were willing to admit who they'd lost their money to.

"Aaaaagh!" Victoire groaned as she threw herself on to the sofa in the Gryffindor common room. She had her own common room, but she needed to rant to other people, so had dumped herself here.

Molly looked up from her work and laughed. "What're you stressing about, cous'?"

"Somebody has started a gambling ring at Hogwarts and is actually making a lot of money off of it. The problem is, everyone who has lost money is too humiliated to talk about it, and everyone who has won is too scared of the person who's dealing the cards."

Molly laughed. "Well that explains why half of our relatives keep buying loads of stuff and half of them keep asking me for money"

Victoire paused. If her family were involved... Freddie and James were bound to know something. They were in on every joke, play and scheme this generation of students concocted. Just as she was about to go find them, they waltzed in to the room, and they had a bag of galleons in their hand. Victoire's eyes gleamed with determination.

She got up and stormed over to them. "Where did you get that money?"

The boys gulped and James nonchalantly shrugged. "We won it. Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff in Saturday's match."

"Yes, but where was the bet made? Who is organising this? I know you know something because you always know something. Please. Give me some sort of clue!" she rambled on at them like a mad women and they burst into fits of laughter.

Freddie (who was often the voice of reason), put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Vic. We can't tell you specifics, because they made us sign a contract. However, we can clue you in on some things."

She smiled more than she had all week.

* * *

"John, John look! I have some information!" She skipped into the Head's common room, gleefully waving the notes in her hand.

"What?! Let's see then."

They sat together and examined the facts that Fred had given her.

_Previous bets include: -Quidditch scores_

_-Who got the highest O.W. L.s_

_-Who is in to get the prefect positions next year_

_-Romantic relationships between students and how long they'll last_

_-Challenges/ dares_

_Upon betting, all participants are made to sign a contract stating that all money is real, they are in no way allowed to sway the outcomes, and they must not reveal the details of the bet to anyone. Once this contract has been signed, you will be hexed automatically if it is broken._

_All winnings must be collected from the dealer whilst out on a Hogsmeade weekend._

_Everyone's money is kept in a box which can only be opened with a riddle._

They pored over their new information.

"They must be a Ravenclaw- if they're using a riddler box"

"And they must be older than third year if they can go to Hogsmeade."

"They must be extremely smart, to know the magic for binding contracts."

They sighed. They had narrowed it down, but they still had a lot of work to do.

"I'm going to the kitchens," Victoire announced. "I could really do with a hot chocolate right now."

It wasn't anything new for the Weasleys to wander in and out of the kitchen as they pleased. Being the child in one of the famous families in the country had its perks. However, Victoire was suprised to see her sister sat there when she came here. After being hounded by house elves asking her what she wanted to eat and drink, she went at sat on the bench with Dominique.

"Hey V. How's the life of responsibility treating you?" Dom said, looking up from the plate of food in front of her.

Victoire gave her a look which said 'don't talk to me about it' which made the younger Weasley smile.

"Well, hey. If you're stressed, have some of this. It's good stuff." Dominique placed the bar of chocolate on the table and left. And Victoire was so wrapped up in her problems that she failed to notice the new diamond bracelet on her sister's wrist; or the matching necklace; or the new pair of Converse on her feet. Or the fact that the chocolate in front of her was the most expensive that Honeydukes offered...

* * *

John and Vic had decided that the best possible option to catch the culprit was to await the next Hogsmeade weekend. They would listen to the chattering of people mentioning bets, and would then follow them. They had put Lucy in charge of spying on the Ravenclaws for shifty activity, but she was yet to report back to them.

The day had arrived, and Victoire was ready. She was wrapped up in her coat and scarf, had her wand in her pocket, and was geared up with a pair of extendable ears. Her and John had decided to split up, and she was just about to leave Hogwarts to walk down to the village.

"We're meeting at the Hogs Head right?" said a small Hufflepuff boy in front of her. "She said to meet her there to exchange the money." Victoire smiled; this was already looking promising. She discreetly followed the group of younger years in front of her, and got a seat in the booth in the corner as she waited for their confidante to arrive.

She watched their table with a careful eye; she was this close to knowing… "Hey Vic!" She was shaken out of her stupor by her Uncle's voice, stood over her.

Victoire tried to not let her anger slip through her voice as she looked up to talk to the man in front of her. "Uncle George, Hi. Look, it's not really a great time."

Her Uncle, being his flamboyant self, ignored her and took a place in the seat opposite her. "So how's Hogwarts life faring? Hopefully you're not missing Teddy too much, I'm sure your Uncle Harry has got him working hard on the Auror squad."

Victoire let him ramble for a bit, whilst trying to glance over his shoulder. That was when she noticed that the table's occupants had disappeared. She looked directly at George. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I have some business to attend to. Say hello to Mum and Dad for me!" And with that she was off, running out of the pub in a desperate flurry.

She was running so fast that she bumped straight into Dominique, resulting in the two heaped in a pile on the floor. "Hey watch it!" said the younger Weasley, as she scrambled to grab her stuff.

All the cogs in Victoire's mind began to turn as she saw the riddler box on the floor beside them. "Hold on a second, you have a riddler box! But, but, but that means that it was you this whole time."

Dom rubbed her head where she had collided with her sister. "What was me?"

"The Hogwarts betting ring."

Dom shrugged. "Why, of course it was me? Who else would it have been?"

At this, Victoire's eyes widened, "You're meaning to tell me that I have spent the last month going crazy trying to find this person, and it was my little sister the whole time. And you'll happily admit it!"

"Of course I'll admit it; it was a genius way to make money!"

"But it breaks so many rules! I'm head girl; Dad was head boy, half our relatives our prefects or have been."

"So? I'm not them, am I? Let me know when my detention is organised." Dominique then got up, grabbed her things and casually sauntered off on her way, leaving Victoire on the floor; completely awestruck.


	10. Rose and Scorpius have a chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are the smartest girl in our year, you're funny and can play Quidditch, you can be girly or one of the guys. Also, though guys are too scared to admit this in fear of your cousins, most of them think you're bloody gorgeous. And they're right! You're beautiful inside and out, and the guy who will eventually win your heart forever will be the luckiest I know!"

**_Rose and Scorpius have a chat (April 2021)_ **

Rose sighed. This had not been her week. She had a bruise on her stomach from a nasty Quidditch practice, her boyfriend Ryan had dumped her, she had failed her astronomy exam... Everything had gone wrong, so in the typical Rose Weasley fashion, she had grabbed a book and had headed to her usual corner of the library. She pulled her knees in towards her on the bench and rolled up the sleeves of her hoodie.

"I thought I'd find you here," the voice of her best friend made her smile, but she continued to read. Scorpius threw his arm around her and grabbed the book from her hands. "The Princess Bride, I should've known. When you're in a mood like this it could only have been that or Matilda."

Rose smiled as she leant into his shoulder, "How is it you know me so well, Scor?"

"Well, Al isn't the most observant kid, so someone has to be," chuckled Scorpius. Rose found herself laughing too, before she was reminded of the bludger she taken to the stomach, making her grimace. Then she was reminded of all her other recent problems.

"It really has been a shit week for you." Rose scoffed at her friend's bluntness, and was suprised to see the concern in his eyes when she pulled away to look at him. "I didn't mean it to be harsh. It really isn't shit though. Not if you think about it properly."

Rose put her book down on the table, crossed her legs where she sat and waited for Scorpius to continue.

"Well, let's start with the Quidditch injury. You'll be out of goal for a few weeks. That's a few weeks away from Fred making us do laps at 5am every morning. That's a few weeks away from James trying not to step in and do captain duties like he had to the last two years. You don't have to deal with James and Al's petty squabbling. No Roxy kissing arse so as to get the captaincy next year. That sounds like a lot of positives to me."

Rose considered this, and then nodded at him to continue.

"And you getting a P in the Astronomy test, means that you have helped your best mate to get the highest mark in class, so he has a great report to send home to his parents."

"That helps me how?" Rose asked.

Scorpius shrugged, "It doesn't; I just wanted to brag about beating you."

Rose playfully smacked him on the arm and then sighed once more. "What about Ryan? I got dumped by a Hufflepuff! How are you planning to make that a good thing?"

Rose looked Scorpius straight in the eye, and could see all the cogs turning in his mind. He bit his lip as he thought, then he took a deep breath.

"Well first of all, I'm sure you already know, but James and Fred have ensured that he won't be hurting anyone anytime soon..."

Rose winced as she remembered her cousins hexing her ex-boyfriend.

"And now you're rid of him- you can complain about the bastard as much as you like. I mean he does bloody deserve it," Rose went to interrupt, but Scorpius continued. "I mean, he really didn't appreciate you and that pissed me off to no end. You are the smartest girl in our year, you're funny and can play Quidditch, you can be girly or one of the guys. Also, though guys are too scared to admit this in fear of your cousins, most of them think you're bloody gorgeous. And they're right! You're beautiful inside and out, and the guy who will eventually win your heart forever will be the luckiest I know!"

Rose stared at him incredulously as his eyes burned with something she had not seen before. To stop herself from crying, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Then to her suprise, she felt Scorpius' lips kiss the top of her head.

All too soon, he pulled away and sighed. "Look, Rose, I need to talk to you."

Rose smiled at him. "I'm listening."

He took in a deep breath. "Rose... I think... Well, I know. Umm, crap this is hard to say," he cleared his throat and started again. "Rose, I like you as more than a friend."

Rose stared blankly at him, not quite sure if she heard that right. "You what?"

Scorpius laughed, "I like you Rose. As in I think you're beautiful and I love spending time with you and I can't look at your lips without getting distracted..."

Rose realised she was chewing on her bottom lip and stopped. "I don't know what to say to that."

"Say what you feel: Nothing more, nothing less."

Rose groaned. "You can't just drop bombshells on me like that, Scor! I mean of course I like you- you know me better than anyone and every girl in Hogwarts knows you're a catch. But... I can't be in a relationship with you. Not at the moment, anyway."

Scorpius sadly smiled. "Okay."

Rose's voice went wobbly. "I don't want to ruin what we have. If we dated, I'd need to be completely sure about it, because if it ended badly, I'd lose you and I couldn't live with that. So here's what I propose. A year. We revisit this in a year. That gives us time to date other people, try and get it out of our system, and if we realise that we do really like each other, we'll give 'us' a shot."

"Deal."

They spent the rest of the evening mindlessly chattering and enjoying each other's company as best friends.

* * *

_(6 months later)_

Scorpius straightened his tie as he waited for Rose to exit the common room so they could do their prefect rounds. He loved this time where it was just the two of them, even if nothing romantic was happening between them.

Rose stumbled out the portrait hole, "Sorry, I'm late."

Scorpius shrugged, and they started wandering the castle. They were conversing about Al and Ariadne's strange relationship when Rose butted in.

"So, what's this I hear about you and Morgan?"

"Nothing, really. Went to Hogsmeade together, trying to keep myself distracted."

Rose nodded, and Scorpius thought he saw the trace of a smile on her lips.

"I broke up with Dorian," Rose announced.

Scorpius feigned disappointment, "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

Rose stopped walking. "Damn it Scorpius, a year is too long."

Before he could register what she meant, Rose had pulled his lips down on to hers. Without even thinking, his hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer. How many times had he imagined doing this, yet the reality was so much sweeter. Rose moved against his mouth and all he could think of was how he could taste cinnamon on her lips. It tasted like bliss. They eventually pulled away, their foreheads leaning against each other.

Then, completely out of character, Rose giggled. Scorpius couldn't supress his smile.

"Well, that was amazing."

Rose tucked a bit of stray hair behind her ear. "Yeah, it was."

She began to laugh, which confused Scorpius.

"Right now, I'm so glad we're not like my parents. We'd have been waiting for a war before admitting any feelings for each other!"

Scorpius chuckled and leant down to kiss his girlfriend once more.


	11. Roxanne receives a letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Roxy yawned and stretched before picking up the letter in front of her, as she pulled out the sheets of paper inside, something small and metallic hit the floor. Roxy looked down to see what it was. She gasped.'

**_Roxanne Receives a letter (August 2019)_ **

"Kids, get your arses in here! Letters have arrived," Angelina shouted down the corridor to her children's rooms. The two groggy teenagers opened their separate doors simultaneously, and stumbled down the corridor into the living room.

They sat on the sofa as their Dad brought them over a cup of tea each then made his way to sit with his wife, opposite.

"I'll go first," Freddie sighed, "Get these O.W.L results done and out the way." He reached towards the coffee table and grabbed his letter, ripping it open. His eyes glanced over the page before sighing again, but in relief. "Yes! An O, 3 Es, 3 As, and 2 Ps"

The family all smiled and got up to hug their eldest child; patting him on the back in congratulations. "Well done mate, I didn't get that many. Stick around to do your N.E. unlike me, imagine how much better the business will do once an educated man is running it," George said, as he took a swig of his tea. Freddie laughed.

Angelina clapped her hands and looked at Roxanne. "Come on, yours next. We should get out and get your stuff ASAP."

Roxy yawned and stretched before picking up the letter in front of her, as she pulled out the sheets of paper inside, something small and metallic hit the floor. Roxy looked down to see what it was. She gasped.

* * *

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed as she rolled the Prefect badge between her fingers. "How the hell did I get this? There must be a mistake!"

"Just read the letter and check."

Roxanne took a deep breath as she prepared to take her Mum's advice.

_"Dear Miss Weasley,_

_We are delighted to inform you that you have been chosen to represent Gryffindor by being the 5th year House prefect this year. Your hard work and determination in all aspects of your school life have made you stand out as a perfect candidate for the job. With this letter comes your badge, which will shine proudly on your robes. Your first meeting with the other prefects will take place on the Hogwarts express, en route on the 1st September. We thoroughly look forward to working with you._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor Neville Longbottom (Head of Gryffindor House)_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall (Headmistress of Hogwarts)"_

Angelina pulled her daughter in for a bone crushing hug, "Well done Roxy, you'll get loads of privileges with being a prefect. It will give you way better job opportunities too. Not to mention the fact that if someone is being a twat, you can just put them in detention."

George stared blankly. "A child of mine; a prefect. I must've done something wrong." Seeing his daughter's frown he continued, "I'm joking, of course. Well done sweetheart, you deserve this. Wait until your Granny finds out- she'll smother you! Make sure to make the most of it, she'll buy you a good reward. Your Uncle Ron got a new broom when his badge came through."

"And Vic got a whole new set of dress robes!" Fred added.

Roxanne smiled. "I honestly wasn't expecting this."

"Hey, little sis; you're a Weasley, you're smart, you're badass at Quidditch, and you stand up for yourself. The job fits you perfectly."

Roxanne hugged her big brother for his comforting words. Then she noticed the smirk break out on his face.

"Don't for a second think this means James and I will go easy on you, we have some great stuff planned this year." He winked and wandered off into the kitchen to get some food.

Roxanne smirked back and called over to him, "Bring it!"


	12. Teddy says Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'The more he thought, the more he realised the inevitability of what happened next. Teddy stood up, went over to the group, and hexed his closest friends so that they lay on the ground.'

**_Teddy Says Stop (June 2012)_ **

Since coming to Hogwarts, Teddy had made various friends, and quite a few of them seemed to be extremely... Gryffindor. They were boisterous, loud and had a tendency to say what was on their mind. Here he was, coming towards the end of his 3rd year as he sat with them. Today he was sat with 3 of his closest friends- Ridley, Joe, and Jacoby. They were often pointed out by teachers as being similar to the Marauders, and Teddy took great pride in being like his father. From the stories that his Godfather had told him, it was evident that they were neither as smart nor as mischievous as their predecessors, but the comparison was often made due to their brotherly closeness. That's what they were to Teddy really: brothers. He'd spent most of his time growing up either with just his grandmother, or the hordes of Weasley-Potter children, so the idea of brothers really appealed to him; especially when he first started Hogwarts.

Ridley was the James of the group. He was brash, loud and exceedingly confident. However, he was good hearted beneath it, always looking out for the younger kids when they got a bit lost.

Jacoby was like Sirius through and through. He loved a good joke and preferred being in the spotlight compared to any place else. He had stunning blue eyes and bronze coloured hair, so he was a winner with the girls too. Everyone appreciated his humour, even if it distracted them from their work- even teachers would laugh!

Teddy was his father's role in the group. 'The Smart One'. He was known for being the mediator when things got heated between any students, and the rumours flew round that McGonagall was already eyeing him for the prefect spot in fifth year. He was focused on his studies and was determined to achieve.

This left Joe to be Peter. A fact that was often disputed by anyone who met him. He was just unfortunate enough not to fit the character description of the other three marauders. Joe was smart, extremely so, but would try and tone it down. He was quietly confident and although he could be a bit of an arse, all his friends knew that he could never rat on them.

Today was a beautiful day and the boys had made their way down to the large area of grass between the lake and the Battle of Hogwarts memorial monument. They were discussing everything from girls to food to Quidditch.

"So, Jacoby, I hear you convinced Lana Seaton to accompany you to Hogsmeade," stated Ridley.

Jacoby shrugged, "There was little convincing to be done, to be honest." This made the other boys smirk and chuckle. Joe then gave his rather crude thoughts on the matter of the beautiful Ravenclaw in question. Teddy sat to the side, enjoying his book; he preferred to observe rather than participate.

"What about you, Ted? Any girl caught your eye?" His bright blue eyes (as they were today) quickly looked up at his friends who were waiting for a response. Teddy laughed.

"It's me! Do you honestly think I'd be getting any girls?"

"Of course! You can change your appearance at will for Merlin's sake!" was Joe's comment.

"And that little blonde first year is definitely a bit attached to you," added Ridley. The mention of Victoire made Teddy wince.

"That's not fair; you know that Tor is my friend. We grew up together." And with that he went back to reading his book and ignoring them.

"Looks like Edward isn't in the mood for our petty mockery today boys, we'll have to find a new target. Ooh, she looks promising." The others turned to wear Jacoby was pointing, and began to snigger.

Helga Jenkins was short, chubby, awkward, and as her name inconveniently reminded her classmates, she was a Hufflepuff. Her hair was a dirty blonde, and seemed to always look as if she'd been for a run (though her body suggested the opposite).

Ridley cleared his throat, stood up and sauntered over to the tree where she sat; Joe and Jacoby following suit.

"Oi! Helly Jelly. What you up to?"

Helga looked up at Ridley towering over her then back at her feet, to which she muttered a reply.

Joe crossed his arms and tutted. "You're going to have to speak louder than that to get heard, Helga."

Helga cleared her throat, and whilst trying to conceal her nerves, muttered, "I'm writing a letter."

The three Gryffindors simultaneously 'Oooh' ed at her. "Who to- your boyfriend?"

"Don't be ridiculous Jake; Helly Jelly and her belly couldn't get a boyfriend!"

Teddy could hear the comments getting harsher as he listened.

_"You don't have to get involved, Teddy. You've never liked confrontation. And these are your friends, it's in jest."_

But the more he thought, the more he realised the inevitability of what happened next. Teddy stood up, went over to the group, and hexed his closest friends so that they lay on the ground.

"I'm so sorry Helga. They were being right prats to you. Nobody deserves that, especially someone as kind hearted as you."

Then before she could reply, and the boys could retaliate, Teddy ran. He legged it to the nearest corridor and planted himself on the floor; both shocked and amazed as his courage.

* * *

"Ahem." Teddy heard a voice clear near him and he looked up to see that the portrait of the late Professor Snape was staring directly at him.

Unlike the other portraits of past headmasters, Snape's was placed in the place closest to the memorial, at the request of none other than Harry Potter.

Teddy forced a smile and spoke to the painting, "Headmaster Snape. Am I right?"

Snape nodded, "And you're the Lupin boy, I believe." Teddy nodded back.

"I just wanted to say that I saw what happened out there and I saw what you did. It was very... unlike your father."

Teddy was taken aback. "That's rare, I'm forever being told the opposite."

"Well I've been in the position of that poor girl, and your father was like you were at first. Sat to the side, ignoring the situation. He didn't get up; but you did. That makes you brave. Well, to me at least."

Teddy couldn't believe the words going in his ears- the mention of his father, the compliment of his bravery. It was the last thing he expected to hear from a man he had heard to be on bad terms with his father. Once he recovered, Teddy smiled at the painting. "Not as brave as you. My Godfather says you're the bravest man he ever knew."

"And who might this Godfather of yours be?"

"Why, Harry Potter of course."

Now it was Snape's turn to be shocked. "I never thought he'd be fond enough of me to say that."

"Oh believe me, he is. He even named one of his kids after you. Albus Severus Potter. You'll meet him eventually."

Teddy knew it couldn't be true, considering everything he had heard, but he thought he saw the faint trace of a smile on Snape's lips.

Teddy stayed there for hours talking out his problems, and soon forgot about his friend's cruelness. It became such that he always went to see Snape when he wanted to talk. Because on that day he realised that although he was proud to be like his Dad, he should also be proud of the times he's not.


	13. Hugo and Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't be ridiculous, Hugo! Hogwarts is a school for magic, you don't learn about muggle stuff. Well unless you take muggle studies but Mum said you can't do that until 3rd year anyway. Everybody knows that you can't use science if there's too much magic around. That's why granny and granddad don't have light switches at the Burrow."

_Hugo and Science (January 2017)_

Since Hermione was working late in the office today, it had fallen to Ron to collect the kids from school. At Hermione's insistence, both Rose and Hugo had been enrolled in the local primary school. (To be honest, he was glad that Rose was in year 6 and was only months away from starting Hogwarts!) Ron had grown used to the fact that Hermione wanted to uphold her muggle heritage; he even enjoyed it to some extent. He very much liked their 3 story house in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood in Twickenham, he enjoyed curling up on the sofa to watch TV with his family, he enjoyed driving his car (though admittedly he wasn't the best driver) and he enjoyed the simplicity of life on those days when he wasn't working and could just 'go muggle'. One thing he found difficult though was his kids' ease with muggle knowledge and technology. They would try and talk to him about things for hours, and he would have to just nod and pretend he understood. He was blessed that they had both got Hermione's brains, but he did sometimes wish he could keep up!

He looked at his watch and made his way out the house to walk the 10 minute route to school. When he arrived, he stood on the playground waiting for the kids to come out and attempted to make small talk with the other parents. Rose ran out first, her frizzy red plaits in her hair making her easy to spot in a crowd.

"Hi, Dad!" Rose yelled as she jumped at Ron, making him beam with happiness.

"Hi, Petal. Have a good day?" she furiously nodded, and he noticed that something round and covered in foil was round her neck. "What's this?"

"Oh, we made medals in History today. We were learning all about the Olympics." Ron made an appreciative noise as he tried to remember what the Olympics were. He looked around to see if he could spot Hugo's mop of hair moving through the hordes of children but he couldn't.

Ron let Rose talk at him for another minute or two before he began to worry about his son. He was out late, which was unusual. Then he saw a door open and his son race across the playground towards him. This was even more unusual considering the fact that Hugo was the calm and collected member of the family.

"Dad, Dad, Dad," he shouted repeatedly as he got closer to Ron.

Ron opened his mouth to say hello, but didn't get the chance. "Dad, we had the best day at school today! This man came to my class to tell us all about science and electricity. It was so cool.

"You learnt about elestrity?"

"No, Dad, Electricity!" Both of his children corrected him at the same time.

They began the walk out the gate and home as Hugo began to talk again. "It was so cool, we had a massive box of wires with crocodile clips on the end, and a bulb and a battery and we got to make circuits, and it was so cool because just my connecting the stuff, the bulb lit up! You didn't have to use magic or anything because science just does it for you. Dad it was so clever! Do you get to learn about science at Hogwarts Dad? I really hope so because it's so cool and I don't ever want to stop learning about it, you know?"

Hugo rambled on as Ron tried to catch at least one word a sentence. He was so baffled as to wear this boy was getting all his energy from. It couldn't be from sweets, he was stick thin. He was about to open his mouth again to reply to Hugo, but Rose butt in.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hugo! Hogwarts is a school for magic, you don't learn about muggle stuff. Well unless you take muggle studies but Mum said you can't do that until 3rd year anyway. Everybody knows that you can't use science if there's too much magic around. That's why granny and granddad don't have light switches at the Burrow."

Ron hesitated then stopped them. "Umm kids, you should probably stop talking about magic, we're in a muggle area, and you don't want to get in trouble with the ministry."

Hugo sighed, before heading straight back into his mumble about science. By the time they got home, Ron was pretty sure that Hugo had told him every little thing he had learned in class today.

He got to their front door and opened up, and immediately went to put the kettle on. He definitely needed a coffee after that. He wrote a note to owl to Hermione.

_As much as I love collecting the kids, remind me to let your parents do it on days that Hugo has science lessons! Ron xxx_


	14. Louis loves dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Care of Magical Creatures was a special subject. Well, at least to Louis Weasley it was. Every single lesson seemed like an adventure in Louis' mind. It had always been like that, ever since 3rd year. He loved discovering new creatures and finding out about them. He loved learning the foods they ate and where they came from. He loved the fact that Hagrid was his teacher. Everything about the subject made him happy, even if most of society deemed it a useless subject. "Even worse than Muggle Studies," his Uncle Percy would often say. He didn't care about that though- it was the one N.E.W.T that he was sure he could get an Outstanding in.'

**_Louis Loves Dragons (June 2022)_ **

Care of Magical Creatures was a special subject. Well, at least to Louis Weasley it was. Every single lesson seemed like an adventure in Louis' mind. It had always been like that, ever since 3rd year. He loved discovering new creatures and finding out about them. He loved learning the foods they ate and where they came from. He loved the fact that Hagrid was his teacher. Everything about the subject made him happy, even if most of society deemed it a useless subject. "Even worse than Muggle Studies," his Uncle Percy would often say. He didn't care about that though- it was the one N.E.W.T that he was sure he could get an Outstanding in.

"Louis Weasley is a godsend to teach!"

"That boy knows everything there is to know about flobberworms"

"He could be the next Rolf Scamander"

Hagrid's constant praise of him to his parents would never get tiring. Louis was one of those kids whose intelligence was purely average. He only managed to get the grades he had got at O.W.L level because of how ridiculously hard he had worked. Care of Magical Creatures was a different story. He excelled naturally. Helping these creatures came to him with ease; he even managed to fly on a hippogriff.

"That's amazing! Me Da' said that hippogriffs were impossible to keep calm," his friend and housemate Niall Finnegan had said to him.

Louis felt very proud of himself for that. All his cousins had that one thing they were good at, and for him- this was that thing. Fred got an O in the subject too, but now that he had joined 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" it was clear that it wouldn't be the thing that he was remembered for.

Although he hadn't expected them too, his family had always understood his love of magical creatures. His Dad was always bringing him back information from wherever he went travelling for work, his Mum willingly paid for him to read the Dragon journals, and Vic would even sneak home medical reports from work about rare animal poisonings. He would stay up late into the night doing research just for the sake and interest of research.

* * *

He'd never really thought about the future, just focused on the here and now, whatever felt good for him. But now he had to think about it. He was only weeks away from finishing Hogwarts. Since he had always been a chilled out guy, he knew that he couldn't get a job somewhere high- profile like the ministry or even WWW. He had come up with a plan though, well now he had. It was quite spontaneous really. He re- read the letter from his Uncle Charlie.

_Hey Lou,_

_It's your Godfather Charlie, checking up on in his favourite nephew (but don't tell James, Fred, Al or Hugo that!). How's school? Hope everything's going well. Got yourself a nice girlfriend or boyfriend yet? Dom said you didn't really have a preference. Your Hogwarts days are nearly over kiddo, how you coping? I found it really hard to give it up- Hogwarts felt like such a huge portion of my life back then. Are you still interested in Dragons? We've had an incredible week in Hungary, tracking Horntails. I'm back home in Romania now, but at least I have some brand new information for the journals. I hear you've been reading them every week. Glad to hear it! That's why I wrote actually…. We've just had a work placement open up at the training centre. The role involves research and upkeep of new breeds, and I thought you may be interested. It's a good job prospect and you'd absolutely love it. It'd also mean you'd get to live out here with me which would be great. Let me know your thoughts._

_Uncle Charlie xxx_

Louis scanned the letter once more and put it in his pocket as he got ready to leave for Hogsmeade. He was meeting with his parents and Victoire today to tell them about the job offer in Romania. He was hoping Dominique would be around too, but with training to be a Curse Breaker they had her all over the place. If he was right in his memory, she was currently in Tanzania. To be honest, he wasn't the best at keeping track. He checked himself in the mirror of his dorm, grabbed his sunglasses and got ready to head out to the village.

When he arrived at The Three Broomsticks, he couldn't help but fidget with the letter. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his sister walk in, her curly blonde hair up in a ponytail swinging behind her. He smiled at her as she sat down. "Hey Weasley no.1"

"Hey Weasley no.3," she replied jokingly.

"How've you and the fiancé been?" Victoire let a small smile show at the mention of Teddy as her fiancé.

"We've been good thank you. I haven't seen him much recently, to be honest. He's been on a mission with the Aurors. Anyway, I've been way too busy worrying about you."

She reached out to squeeze her younger brother's hand. "How have you been? Have your exams been going okay? Only one left, right?"

He processed the questions before nodding in response. "Yeah, I've been pretty good. Just my Charms paper left."

Victoire was about to respond, but before she could, Louis interrupted her at the sight of his parents entering the pub. "Mum, Dad!" He beamed like he was 10 years old again. There was something so reassuring about the smiles on his parent's faces that he was no longer afraid to tell them that he was moving away.

They sat down and exchanged pleasantries, until Louis put his mug of butter beer down on the table with a finalising thud. "In all honesty, I brought you here to discuss what I'm doing after Hogwarts."

"So, I guessed," his mother said, with a glisten in her eye.

"Don't make it too painful," his Dad said, jokingly rubbing a non-existent tear from his eye.

Louis gulped, and decided to just come straight out and say it. "Uncle Charlie got me a job with him. I'm going to move to Romania to work with Dragons."

His family all cheered for him and embraced him in a bone- crushing hug.

"You finally took the hints, then?" his Dad said.

Louis pulled back confused. "Hints? What do you mean?"

Victoire rolled her eyes and answered on behalf of her father. "We've been trying to encourage you to want to do that from the moment you showed an interest in Dragons."

Lines formed on his forehead. "But why? That means me moving half way across Europe? Also, you all hate magical creatures."

"We may do my darling but you don't. All we want is for you to do to be happy," his mother said, her faint trace of a French accent still slipping through.

Louis Weasley thought Care of Magical Creatures was special. But the adventure of those lessons wouldn't even compare to the real thing.


	15. Albus makes a statement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Albus was fidgeting- something wasn't right. His foot was tapping, he was rubbing the legs of his jeans nervously and his dark hair somehow looked messier than usual. (If that were at all possible.)
> 
> '"Sweet Circe, Al. What's wrong with you?" Scorpius asked, putting his mug to one side and leaning forward. His eyes challenged his best friend.
> 
> Al hesitated, before relaxing his body with a sigh. "Look Scor, I brought you here today because I need to talk to you about something important." Scorpius gestured for him to continue. "It's something that I've battled with for a while but I'm fed up of hiding who I am." He cringed at how cliché his words were, but he had never been a poster boy for originality.
> 
> "I've never been that great with words so I guess I should just say it." A pregnant pause hung in the air...'

**_Albus Makes a Statement (2nd August 2023)_ **

Scorpius couldn't help but think that this was all a bit strange. He had received an owl to his house this morning with the only the message: _Urgently need to see you. Come as soon as you can. Al._ And after making himself presentable, he had apparated straight to the Potter's home in Godric's Hollow. Albus had rushed him in, made him a cup of tea, and led him to the living room; Scorpius sat on the sofa and Al sat on an armchair opposite.

Albus was fidgeting- something wasn't right. His foot was tapping, he was rubbing the legs of his jeans nervously and his dark hair somehow looked messier than usual. (If that were at all possible.)

"Sweet Circe, Al. What's wrong with you?" Scorpius asked, putting his mug to one side and leaning forward. His eyes challenged his best friend.

Al hesitated, before relaxing his body with a sigh. "Look Scor, I brought you here today because I need to talk to you about something important." Scorpius gestured for him to continue. "It's something that I've battled with for a while but I'm fed up of hiding who I am." He cringed at how cliché his words were, but he had never been a poster boy for originality.

"I've never been that great with words so I guess I should just say it." A pregnant pause hung in the air. "I'm gay."

Scorpius looked blank for a moment, before confusion rose up into his features and he suddenly became very interested in his feet. "I don't understand..."

"As in I like other me-"

"No, I got that part!" Scorpius interrupted, "But if you're gay, how is it... How is it-"

"How is it what?" Al questioned anxiously.

"How is it that you've managed to be best friends with someone as good looking as me and not fallen in love with me?" He looked up as he finished his sentence and burst out laughing.

Al smiled but hesitantly, "Who said I hadn't?"

Scorpius froze in his seat, causing Al to scoff. "I should've known you'd have been like this. It's fine having a gay best friend as long as he doesn't show an interest in you. I mean you're a Malfoy after all, prejudice runs in your blood." By this point Albus had got up and started to leave the room.

"I froze out of worry for you mate, not me," Scorpius called to him, his voice calmer than before.

Albus paused, confused, and turned back to his friend. "Wait, what?"

"Rose was pissed enough at the thought of one of her cousins fancying her boyfriend, how do you think she'd react to two?" Scorpius commented as he smiled up at Albus.

Al chuckled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Hadn't thought of that... So you're honestly okay with it?"

Scorpius looked genuinely offended at Al's insinuation, "Of course I'm okay with it, you twat! We've been best friends for six years; I'm not going to give up on you right before our last year of school!" He frowned. "Actually, I might; I can't believe you pulled the Malfoy card! That's really fucking low mate."

"I'm really sorry Scorpius. I should never have said that, especially without giving you a chance to explain your reaction. You're my best mate, and I was just scared that you'd reject me."

Scorpius stood up and pulled his best friend into a hug. Albus smiled as he leaned into it. "For the record, I'm not actually in love with you."

"I'm aware." At this, Al pulled away.

"How did you know I was bluffing?"

"Please! I've seen the way you eye up Colin Pretski," the blonde smirked.

Al coughed and a blush rose to his cheeks. Not wanting to embarrass the poor boy further, Scorpius threw himself down on to the sofa and pulled Al down next to him.

"I know I'm important to you, but I'm not your whole world- so I take it I'm not the first to know."

Shaking his head Albus replied, "No. The family- well immediate family- know. And I couldn't not tell Ari."

"Fair dos," Scorpius said as he processed the information. "How did they take it?" This question provoked Al to make a noise that could be classified as a groan.

"Where do I even start?"

"Your mum?" Scorpius shrugged.

Al breathed in deeply before recounting the story...

_This was going to be hard. He was about to tell the woman who raised him that he couldn't provide her with the amazing daughter-in-law and grandchildren she'd always dreamed of. It was early in the morning: a time he knew she'd be by herself in the kitchen._

_"Hey honey, you okay? You're looking troubled."_

_He laughed nervously. "You can say that, I guess."_

_Ginny looked up at him worried, but continued to move around the room making breakfast._

_"Mum this is so hard for me to tell you, because I don't want to let you down. But; I'm not going to get married and have kids."_

_Ginny laughed. "You're a few weeks short of turning seventeen, so I'd bloody well hope not."_

_"No mum, I don't mean now. Not ever. Well at least not to a woman... I'm gay. I'm attracted to men and always have been."_

_His eyes squinted as he waited for the full force of his mother's reaction, but it never came. Instead she shrugged and turned around to get some plates from the cupboard._

_Albus had to do a double-take. "Mum, I just told you I was gay."_

_Ginny looked at him weirdly. "I did hear you the first time Al. Now please can you lay the table for breakfast and wake your family up?"_

_Astounded he asked, "That's it? That's all you're going to say?!"_

_Ginny rolled her eyes at her son, "You should know by now that if you want a speech you should go to your father."_

"Then she just walked off!" Albus said, the frustration clear in his tone.

"Weird."

"It just got weirder from there. She was right about my Dad giving a speech..."

_He knocked at the door of his father's study and made his way inside after the call of approval. His father smiled at him. "I was waiting for you to show up; your mother mentioned that there was something you wanted to talk about. She wouldn't tell me what though."_

_He laughed as he accioed a chair closer to him for his middle child to sit on._

_"Look Dad, I don't want you to differ your opinion of me. This doesn't change who I am."_

_Harry looked to his son expectantly._

_"I'm gay."_

_Harry smiled softly, "How could you possibly think that being gay would make you any less of the incredible man you are? You're my son Al, and I'm proud of every choice you make."_

_"Thanks Dad."_

_"You know, Albus Severus Potter. You were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was gay, and he was the strongest, most thought-provoking man I ever had the fortune to be acquainted with. Admittedly, he fell in love with a crazy dark wizard, but I trust you not to make the same mistakes-"_

"That's hilarious! Does he have a speech for everything just based off your name?"

"It genuinely wouldn't suprise me."

"So. James next."

"Yep. I talked to him this morning as he was playing Fifa on the TV in his room."

_"You're finally coming out? Doesn't suprise me. Always knew you swung that way. How did Mum and Dad take it?"_

_"Mum didn't really care. Dad gave me a talk derived from my name."_

_James laughed, "That's so them."_

_Al found himself laughing too. "You don't care then?"_

_James shrugged. "Why would I? It means more girls for me. And besides, they say that sex your way is a lot more-"_

_"I'm still a virgin and don't need to know just yet!"_

_His brother rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Just let me know when you find out."_

_Albus went to leave the room. "Oh and Al, I'm proud of you man. If anyone ever tries to give you shit for it- send them my way."_

_"Thanks Jay. You're actually a decent brother sometimes."_

_James shot Albus a wink and went back to his video game._

"That's suprisingly mature of him. How about Lily?"

"Okay, so that one went nowhere near the way I thought it would."

_"This explains so much!" Lily squeals as she throws herself down on her bed._

_"In what way?" Al asks._

_"Well, why you're always so funny about me having boyfriends. You could've just told me that you were jealous, Albie."_

_"Jealous?! Where did you get that idea from?"_

_"Well it's no secret that I've dated some of the most attractive guys in school, except Scor of course, and since you're gay, it would make perfect sense for you to envy me for it."_

_"I think you're missing the point here."_

_Lily's eyes lit up, "I could tell you all about their bodies if it makes you feel better."_

_Albus glared at his little sister, "Why exactly have you been seeing guy's bodies?!"_

"So then I got angry and got Jay involved so the whole me being gay thing kinda dissipated."

"What about Ariadne? How did it go? I mean over the years you two probably dated for about 8 months."

"Ten. She took it really well actually. Said that she understood that our relationship was more of a pleasing our families thing. Also that she was glad that the reason I didn't want to sleep with her wasn't just that I found her gross."

"Glad to hear it," Scorpius said, feeling very happy for his friend's new openness.

"I've got to tell Rose now. I wonder how she'll take it."

Scor waved flippantly, "Pretty well considering she guessed ages ago."

Albus looked shocked, before sighing in defeat. "I guess this wasn't as much of a big statement as I thought it was."

His best friend laughed, and Albus felt more than happy to join in.


	16. Speak up, Lucy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Professor Flitwick sighed and threw his head into his hands. His desk was completely covered with letters regarding a certain Weasley. He had at least one letter from nearly every single one of her professors except himself. These letters weren't what one would expect when discussing a Weasley (too loud. Played a prank. Distracted too easily.), but were in fact of a completely different nature. Well... Lucy Florence Weasley never had been much like her relatives. Sometimes he wished she was; from conversations with Neville, it seemed like it would be so much easier to deal with the likes of James Potter and Fred Weasley ii. He scanned the letters once more'

_" **Speak up Lucy!" (November 2013)**_

Professor Flitwick sighed and threw his head into his hands. His desk was completely covered with letters regarding a certain Weasley. He had at least one letter from nearly every single one of her professors except himself. These letters weren't what one would expect when discussing a Weasley (too loud. Played a prank. Distracted too easily.), but were in fact of a completely different nature. Well... Lucy Florence Weasley never had been much like her relatives. Sometimes he wished she was; from conversations with Neville, it seemed like it would be so much easier to deal with the likes of James Potter and Fred Weasley ii. He scanned the letters once more.

_I'm writing out of concern for a member of your house, Lucy Weasley. The girl is clearly very bright._

_She certainly has her father's intelligence._

_She shows great skill and knowledge in Astronomy._

They all started like this, praising the girl, but then that ghastly word appeared on every single one. _However._

_She seems to have trouble applying her knowledge in class._

_It's been two months and I am yet to hear the girl answer a question out loud in class._

_Her written work is flawless, but she will never join in the group activities._

_I as a teacher struggle with how to get Miss Weasley to participate in lessons._

Professor Flitwick couldn't help but laugh a dry laugh at the irony of the situation- they couldn't get Percy to shut up and let others join in, and here they were a generation later, struggling with the opposite problem!

He'd spoken to Professor Longbottom about it one day. "Neville, you are close to the Weasley household are you not?"

"I'd say so, Professor. I'm godfather to both Albus Potter and Rose Weasley."

"And Lucy Weasley; do you know much about her?"

Neville smiled with affection, "Absolutely lovely girl, she is. Polite, intelligent... A bit quiet but happy nonetheless."

"Her quietness is the problem! All her professors are complaining that she doesn't take part. Actually, I've not had a letter of complaint from you. What's she like in your lessons?"

Neville shrugged. "She works hard like any of my other students. Doesn't say much but she gets the work done."

Flitwick hmmphed and stormed back to his office. Neville wasn't much help. Next port of call- the girl's twin.

* * *

Molly Weasley ii was an interesting girl to say the least. She had auburn hair which was pushed into a messy bun- completely different to Lucy's straight mousy brown hair. Her eyes were a startling blue, which her and her sister shared. Molly was loud and brash and had already had a few detentions since the start of term. She looked thoroughly out of place in Flitwick's Ravenclaw themed office.

"So Molly, are you and your sister close?"

The small girl nodded so hard it was violent. "She's my best friend. I would do absolutely anything for Lucy."

"And do you think she's enjoying Hogwarts so far?"

"Yes, I think so. She said it was hard for her being in a different house to me, but that she loved all her lessons."

"She doesn't struggle in her lessons then?"

Molly started to get frustrated. "Of course not. She's way smarter than me. What's wrong with Lucy anyway that made you call me here?"

"Her professors are just a bit worried that she doesn't speak up enough in lessons."

"Have they told her that?"

Before he responded, Professor Flitwick paused to think. "I... I don't actually know."

"Well why are you here talking to me when you could be talking to Lucy about this?" She then got up and left the office. Molly stormed down the corridor to the Great Hall to find her sister.

Lucy frowned at the way Molly threw herself down on to the bench next to her. "What's got you in a tiff?"

"Your head of house summoned me to try and work out why you're not speaking in class."

"They've not told me that it was an issue."

Molly threw her hands in the air, "I thought they hadn't. If they had you would have just started talking in class more."

"Maybe, I do need to speak up a bit more."

"Don't until they specifically tell you to. They should know that all they have to do is ask. They're the adults after all."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at her sister's annoyance. "Okay, I'll wait. If they resorted to talking to you, they must be planning to pull me in soon."

* * *

Soon, as Lucy called it, came a week later. Flitwick had called her to his office, and that's where she sat now, awaiting her lecture.

"Well, Lucy... I'm not going to beat around the bush. Your professors are worried about how quiet you are in class. They all know that you're a bright girl from your written work, but they do wish you'd speak up."

"Okay."

Flitwick's eyebrow shot up. "What?"

"Okay, I'll participate more in lessons. Was that all, sir?"

"Umm yes. I think it was."

And with that Lucy left the room. A week later, he received a round of letters saying that Lucy was actively involved in lessons, and asking how he'd done it. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure. With those Weasleys, you never really could be.


	17. Lysander is the king of cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Lysander was buzzing. He'd always wanted to have a big party, and now he was finally getting to. He was one of the most popular boys in his year group, so it was sure to be a spectacle. He used his wand to move around the plans on the chalkboard in the Slytherin sixth year's dorm.'

_Lysander is the 'King of Cool.' (March 2026)_

"I cannot believe they said yes to you having a house party."

Lysander smirked at his twin, who was nervously fiddling with his blue and bronze tie. "Mum and Dad hardly ever say no to me. What can I say? I'm a Slytherin; persuasion is a high point of ours." At this Lorcan rolled his eyes.

"Lorcan, it's our 17th- we're coming of age. We can have as big a party as we like. Our parents are famous and rich, it's not like our house is too small."

"Yeah but-"

"And it's in the middle of the forest, so it's not like we're disturbing anyone. Why are you so adverse to the idea?"

Lorcan bit his lip. "I'm just scared we'll get into trouble."

"With who? It's in the Easter Holidays. McGonagall can't take you out of the running for Head Boy next year because you had a party out of term time." His blue eyes glimmered as he expectantly waited for his brother's response.

Lorcan sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, we can have a big party. But I swear to Merlin, I will hex your arse if anyone tries to have sex in my bed."

Lysander smiled at Lorcan as he ran to get planning, "I can't make any promises!"

Lysander was buzzing. He'd always wanted to have a big party, and now he was finally getting to. He was one of the most popular boys in his year group, so it was sure to be a spectacle. He used his wand to move around the plans on the chalkboard in the Slytherin sixth year's dorm. He had a month to plan this. The party would be in April, a week after their birthday, and slap bang in the middle of the Easter Holidays. Lorcan had only one request- that the Weasley Potter clan were invited, even though the majority of them had left school. Lysander knew that this was purely because his brother was still pining after Lily (who was a seventh year Slytherin), but he agreed because a) It would make his Mum happy, b) it wouldn't make a difference if they were there and c) Everybody knew that the Weasleys knew how to party.

He decided that he could just use his wand for music, and he'd let his Mum decorate. His Dad had already said that he would buy the alcohol, because he knew a guy in Sweden who could get him cheaper firewhiskey than Hannah Abbott's apparently. He could always ask James and Freddie to bring fireworks. He smirked to himself. It was going to be awesome.

The next day, as Lorcan walked to his first lesson, he almost felt his heart stop. Every single wall at Hogwarts was covered with flyers about the 'Scamander's Spectacular Seventeenth Bash!' Everywhere. Lysander must have mastered the sticking charm by now. He stood in front of a wall when he heard footsteps beside him. He could smell the distinct smell of Lily's perfume.

"A party, hey? Weren't you going to invite me Lorcan?" she batted her eyes at Lorcan and chuckled.

"Of course I was. You were at the top of the guest list. You know, if there was a guest list. I can't believe that Lysander made it open invite!" He rubbed his head to try and push down the stress.

Lily leant towards him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "It'll be great, don't worry!"

* * *

A month later, Lorcan discovered that he had plenty of reason to worry. Lysander had not spared any expense on this party. Their house was glowing like a bloody Christmas tree.

"Fuck me."

"Language please, Lorcan," Luna scolded (in her gentle Luna way of course).

"Mum, look at this. How are you not scared about this party?"

"I've used a lot of yellow in the decorations which is a good omen. And I've put anti-breaking charms on all the furniture."

"Mum, you already have those charms on in case of Nargles. I have a feeling that you may need to strengthen them."

Luna shrugged and went back to decorating. Lysander slid down the banister and planted himself on the ground next to his brother. "What do you think? Isn't this going to be the coolest party ever?!"

Lorcan sighed. "I think that you're mad. And that if you didn't have the exact same eye colour as Mum, there is no way I'd believe you were her child."

Lysander just laughed and patted his brother's back with a gesture he thought reassuring. Lorcan thought it was terrifying.

* * *

In the Malfoy- Potter flat, Albus and Scorpius were getting ready for what had been promoted as 'the party of this generation.'

Scorpius rubbed gel in his hair and called out to Albus, "Al, why are we going tonight? Aren't we a little old to be going to a Hogwarts party?"

"We only left two years ago; we are perfectly eligible to go to this party. You know that the Scamanders are really close family friends. Besides, Jay went over earlier to drop off the fireworks and he said that he knew this was going to be a banging party."

Scorpius pondered it. "I guess. Don't drink too much though; we all know how awful you are with alcohol!"

"Hey-" Al went to protest but was interrupted by a new voice.

"Don't even try and deny it Al, we won't be forgetting your 18th birthday any time soon."

"Thanks Rose!" Al said sarcastically to his cousin who had planted herself on the sofa.

Scorpius stepped out the bathroom and went to greet Rose with a kiss. "Is Hugo ready?"

Rose scoffed. "As ready as he'll ever be. You know how much he hates parties. He's going for Lorcan's sake- we all know how enthusiastic Lysander can be about things."

Scorpius nodded and looked at Albus, "Let's get going then."

Al chucked the floo powder into the fire and off they went.

As soon as they came out on the other side of the fireplace, their ears were bombarded with the heavy beats of music. It was the kind of Wizard music that would be played in clubs like The Dragon's Nest.

They were immediately handed a shot of firewhiskey each. Yep. This was going to be one insane party...

* * *

Lysander was already having a great time. That shot of Felix Felicis that he had pocketed from Slughorn's stash had done him well. He was feeling as high as a hippogriff. There were loads of guys telling him how great this party was, hot girls telling him how great _he_ was, and he was drunk enough that he had no idea whether he'd remember this whole night tomorrow. He'd been in these situations plenty of times before, but it felt awesome when all the attention was on him. His best friends Alan Corby and Will Walker picked him up and started a chant. "Lysander is the King of Cool. Lysander is the King!" Then, with the perfect timing on James Potter ii's part, fireworks lit the sky above their house.

Lorcan's experience of the party was somewhat different. Alcohol was never his best friend and he tended to avoid it. However, he was kind of regretting that tonight, considering that he only knew about a third of the people. Also, the last time he saw the one person he wanted to spend his evening with, she was swapping spit with some guy he was pretty sure didn't even go to Hogwarts. As he sighed, he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned around to see Hugo Weasley smiling at him.

"How are you holding up?" Hugo asked, eliciting a laugh from his friend.

"Do I look that uncomfortable?"

"Nah not really," he shrugged. "However, you and I have always been quite similar, and I don't really fit in with this crowd so I assume you don't."

"You assume correctly. It's strange; Lysander is so different from me. He loves attention, I'm happy to shy away from the spotlight. I've never been in a relationship, he basically apparates between them. People _adore_ him; they tolerate me. I sometimes find it hard to believe that we're brothers."

Hugo smiled, running his hand through his hair. "You don't have to tell me that. I know pretty well. Rose and I are pretty different. So are Molly and Lucy, Victoire and Dominique, James and Albus. Being siblings isn't about being the same- it's about being the same every day. Being a constant figure in their lives. Someone who will trust and support all the decisions they make, even if you don't necessarily understand. You're being a good brother today, letting him have his moment. Happy birthday." He passed Lorcan a present and wondered off again.

Lorcan thought about what Hugo had said, and smiled. He would at least try to have fun for the rest of this party. He ran off to find some fellow Ravenclaw friends of his.

By midnight, he was in a much better mood, and ready to head for bed. Lorcan walked to his room, to find out it was locked. He could hear moaning coming through the door. He would probably hex Lysander in the morning.

The next morning, after braving the night on the couch, Lorcan went and performed alohomora on his door. His eyebrows went up at what he saw. Lysander was in his bed, with a random dark-haired girl he had never seen before. Oh yes, Lysander was definitely getting hexed this morning.


	18. Teddy's request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Today was the day. Today he was going to ask Victoire to marry him. He'd asked Bill's permission so all that was left was popping the question. However, for the first time in his life, Teddy was indecisive.'

**_Teddy's Request (March 2022)_ **

The thing about Teddy Lupin was that he always knew his mind. The word indecision was not even part of his vocabulary. He knew exactly what he wanted. He knew exactly who he did and didn't like. He knew what was right and wrong. He was never arrogant in his views; he just felt comfortable in himself and all he believed in. When he was 6, he decided that his parents were the bravest people he'd never had the opportunity to meet. At 8 he knew he wanted to learn to play Quidditch. At 15 he decided he would do his best to get the Head Boy position. At 17 he knew he wanted to become an Auror, and here he was at 23 knowing that he wanted to marry his best friend.

Today was the day. Today he was going to ask Victoire to marry him. He'd asked Bill's permission so all that was left was popping the question. However, for the first time in his life, Teddy was indecisive. This had to be perfect; what should he wear? Where should he ask? He groaned as he threw himself on to his bed at his godfather's home. He heard a gentle knock on the door as Harry Potter poked his head through the gap. "Can I talk to you Teddy?"

Teddy nodded and gestured for Harry to come in.

"Something tells me that you're slightly nervous about this whole proposal thing."

Teddy laughed, "Am I that obvious?"

"No. I just know for a fact that nearly every man is terrified on this day."

"How do you do it? How are you meant to build up the courage to ask someone to be yours for the rest of your life?"

"That's a secret the universe is yet to reveal to us." At this, Teddy sighed. "Just tap into some of your Gryffindor bravery."

"Uncle Harry, you make it sound like that's an easy thing to do."

Harry shrugged. "When the time is right for you, it will be."

With that, Teddy was left in the room alone. He breathed in deeply. _Come on Teddy. You can do this._ He changed into a simple checked shirt and jeans, put the ring in his pocket and apparated to Shell Cottage.

* * *

He knocked on the door. It was answered quickly by Victoire, who looked surprised at Teddy's sudden appearance.

"Ted? I wasn't expecting you until later."

"I changed my mind; thought it would be nice to just spend a day together. Go for a walk along the beach." he smiled at Victoire, trying to hide his nerves.

She combed through her hair with her hands and laughed, a charming giggle as if she was still 14 and it was that first time they snuck off to kiss at the Quidditch World Cup. "Give me a minute to get ready and I'll meet you outside."

Teddy nodded and wandered back outside, and within a few minutes Victoire had joined him. Even in just an old t-shirt of his and a pair of jeans, she looked breathtaking. She rolled her eyes at his staring and grabbed his hand, dragging him along the sand. "Didn't you say something about a walk?"

Holding hands, they wandered along the route they had always walked, and as always it seemed to feel fresh and exciting. It was like that with Teddy and Victoire; always new things to discover about each other and the world. After a while of just walking, Victoire suggested putting flowers on the grave of Dobby, the brave house elf who had saved her Uncles and Aunt. At the top of the hill, they settled and watched the waves slowly come in.

Teddy had lost all fears he had previously and returned back to his usual laid back self. This was perfection. He had his best friend by his side, and it didn't really matter how he asked, as long as the question got asked. He breathed in and prepared to speak up when Victoire cut in.

"I could do this forever you know."

"And what's 'this'," he said, punctuating the air quotes.

"Be with you, not worry about work or family or life. Just be happy with my best friend."

Teddy thanked the stars for the incredible opening she had left him. "We can you know. Do this. If you wanted to. Start a life together. Mr and Mrs Lupin."

Victoire laughed as she lifted her head off Teddy's shoulder to look at him. "Was that an attempt at a proposal?"

As they looked at each other, Teddy grabbed Victoire's hand and pushed something small into the palm of it. She looked down in confusion at her closed hand before opening it to see a ring.

"Yes. Yes it was actually."

Victoire stared in shock at the small gold band in her hand, the gryffindor red ruby staring up at her.

She cursed under her breath.

"Teddy..."

She paused again to take a deep breath, as Teddy gulped and tried to not be scared by the hesitation.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. Marrying you sounds like a pretty good option. You know, unless Jacoby shows up and proposes too." He laughed and she threw her arms around him, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Between kisses, he whispered to her, "Teddy and Tor. The unstoppable team."

Victoire smiled. This was their small piece of perfection in this messed up world.

Teddy was thankful in that moment and so so blessed. For his dad, it had taken decades to find his dream girl. Teddy's fiancee, his other half, had been his best friend since he was 6. This. This was that moment he wanted to live in forever.


	19. Rumours of Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Rose sighed again in frustration. "Basically, I had to listen to a load of girls drooling over you and discussing how they'd have their wicked way with you... It's fine though. I'm sure they won't anymore."
> 
> Looking at the gleam in Rose's eyes, Scorpius sat bolt upright. "Shit Rose. What did you do?"
> 
> "I didn't do anything. I may have said a few things however..."'

_Rumours of Rose (February 2024)_

Scorpius sat in the Head's dorm surrounded by notebooks, his hair a complete mess and his part-time reading glasses slipping off his nose. As he undid his tie, the door swung open and was slammed shut violently.

Rose, looking flustered and angry, groaned as she saw the boy sat on the sofa.

"Because that's the reaction that every guy wants when his girlfriend sees him."

Rose laughed unconvincingly and came and sat next to him. "Sorry, Scor. You're just the last person I want to see right now."

Offended at the statement Scorpius scoffed, "Why? What did I do?"

"You didn't _do_ anything as such. You were just you. And that drew attention."

"I'm still confused. Rosie, what are you talking about?"

Rose sighed again in frustration. "Basically, I had to listen to a load of girls drooling over you and discussing how they'd have their wicked way with you... It's fine though. I'm sure they won't anymore."

Looking at the gleam in Rose's eyes, Scorpius sat bolt upright. "Shit Rose. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I may have said a few things however..."

* * *

_Earlier that Day._

_Rose needed the toilet. Desperately. "But the Prefects' bathroom is ages away" she thought. She huffed and ran into the bathroom closest to her. Once she relieved herself, she couldn't help but listen in on the conversation happening outside the cubicle door._

_"Who do you reckon the best fuck is in the school?"_

_"Easy. Scorpius Malfoy. I mean, look at him! Imagine that body pressed against yours."_

_Rose smirked._ Ha. Been there, done that.

_"It's a shame he's a virgin then."_

_"Malfoy- a virgin? What in Merlin's name gave you that idea?"_

_The first girl scoffed. "He's dating Rose Weasley. Do you honestly think that she puts out?"_

_Rose opened her mouth in shock._

_"Tina, they've been together over two years, and they are madly in love. I'm sure they are having sex."_

_"Yeah but Connie, this is Rose Weasley we're talking about. Her mother is goody two-shoes Granger; she's probably as pure as pumpkin juice."_

_"Wait, don't her parents have a rep for pda?"_

_"Now they do, but not at school. Trust me- my Dad went out with her Mum. She wouldn't even kiss him."_

_Rose sat on the floor to look under the door and see who was talking. There were three girls there; she recognised them as being in the year below her. Tina McClaggen, Connie Mayhew and Ali Goyle._

_"How long do you reckon it will take before he gets frustrated enough to cheat? Because I would love to have that boy for breakfast and lunch and dinner. I mean I reckon his arse is perfect-"_

_And before she could even think about it, Rose's temper got the best for her and she stormed out the cubicle door and washed her hands as she interrupted their conversation._

_"I wouldn't say perfect, but it's pretty immaculate."_

_The younger girls all stood there, completely still, shock and embarrassment plastering his features._

"Really Rose? Was that really the best time to step in?"

Rose rounded on him angrily. "Were you not listening?! They were discussing your butt, and I have a claim to that."

Scorpius took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. "Whoa, hang on. You do not have a claim on my arse." Rose stared at him. "Okay, maybe you do, but I'm a human being Rose, not some object you can claim!"

Rose tried to supress her laughter. "Are you done there, Scor?"

He sighed but then nodded.

_"Rose. Umm we didn't know you were in here."_

_"So I gathered. He's not by the way."_

_"Not what?" Tina asked awkwardly._

_"A virgin. I took that title away ages ago."_

"Please say that was you making your point and you stopped there?"

Rose laughed awkwardly as she tied her hair up. "Not exactly."

_"In fact, he's so good at it, it was as if I wasn't his first. Obviously I was though. The only girl who knows what Scorpius Malfoy looks like naked. He's not bad. The Quidditch helps a lot; helps the stamina too."_

"You mentioned my stamina. I can't believe you."

_"And wow. If you thought he was a great public speaker, let's just say there's a great deal more of amazing talents that he utilises his mouth for."_

"Fuck Rose, you did not tell people we have oral sex!"

"Of course not: I implied it."

_"And wow. It's not just books he's smart with."_

_The sixth year girls all stood there in shock as Rose poured out details of her personal life._

_Connie, the Hufflepuff who obviously didn't want the conversation to occur in the first place, began to tear up. "We are so so sorry Rose. And Tina didn't mean what she said about your mum, did you T?"_

_Tina shook her head violently._

_"For the record, she only dated your dad to make mine jealous. But yes, she was a bit of a goody two shoes. However- I'm not her."_

_"Are we going to get in trouble for this?" Ali mumbled._

_"I was thinking 10 points from each of your houses. Oh and Tina, don't expect me to let you play Quidditch on_ my _team when you've been talking about sleeping with_ my _boyfriend. Ali, I'm also sure that your dad would love to know how you've been discussing his godson."_

_Terror rose to her face. "Shit, please don't tell my dad."_

_Rose crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll leave that decision to Scorpius."_

_"You're going to tell him about this?" Tina's eyes widened._

_"As Connie so aptly pointed out, we're madly in love, which means we tell each other everything. You know, between all the hours of insane, hot, blindingly amazing sex we have. Also, as Head Girl it is my duty to discuss all matters regarding point deductions with my fellow head."_

_With that Rose nodded at them and stormed out._

* * *

She waited for Scorpius to move.

"I don't know whether to be angry, embarrassed or turned on…"

Rose put her hand on his inner thigh and used her best seductive voice, "The third one is my favourite."

"Yep, I'm definitely angry. You just told the entire school about our sex life."

"Three people are hardly the entire school."

"Yes it is; you know how gossip spreads in this place."

Rose went to contradict him, but realised she couldn't.

"I'm going to die. There won't be any rumours to spread about you because your boyfriend will be dead. Your dad is going to find me, hex my balls off and then Avada me." Scorpius began to pace up and down.

Rose burst out laughing, "Merlin, you're a drama queen! How exactly do you think that my dad is going to find out?"

"I don't know; it's not as if your godfather is our head of house."

"Yes, but even if Uncle Neville finds out"-

"When. When he finds out."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Okay; when. He'll be way too mortified to say anything to anyone, and too scared to say anything to Dad."

"That's fine and dandy. I guess Albus will just kill before the news gets to him then!"

"Ha, that will be a tad hypocritical since he is totally banging Colin Pretski."

Scorpius stopped in shock. "What? He moves fast. He's only been out the closet six months and he's shagging some dude he's been seeing for like three weeks."

Rose sighed, "Just because we waited a while to have sex, doesn't mean everyone does, Scor."

At the mention of their sex life, he was reminded of the situation at hand.

"I still can't believe you told people we have insane, hot, blindingly amazing sex."

"I thought you'd take that as a compliment. And it's not as if people hadn't come to their own conclusions."

"People having theories is fine. You didn't have to bloody confirm them!"

"I don't see why you're so pissed off at me. Your dad was known as the 'Slytherin Sex God' when he was at school."

"But I'm not him!"

Then something strange happened; Rose and Scorpius' eyes met, they paused for a moment and then both burst out laughing.

Scorpius threw his face into his palms and groaned. "After over two years and four months of dating, it comes to this."

"I know right. Our first big argument and it's over some stupid rumours which will be going round. God we're pathetic."

Scorpius pulled his offended face. "Rumours you started! None of this would have happened if it weren't for your hot headedness."

Rose moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You love my hot headedness."

"You're bloody lucky I do."

And then just as quickly as they were arguing they were kissing. Well they were until Rose's very angry cousin stormed in the room.

"The rumours better not be fucking true. If you two are fucking I will actually kill you Scorpius and then myself for being a big enough twat to let you anywhere near my baby cousin, who is actually 7 months older than me."

When Al had finished his rant, the couple looked at each other, hiding their grins.

"What rumours?"


	20. Fred steps back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'It wasn't that Fred was selfish; he loved sharing the fame and glory with his best friend. However, this time he just wanted to try and do something himself. He wanted to prove himself worthy of the massive shoes he was required to fill. James utilised his fame; made himself oblivious to the pressure that came with the surname, but Fred couldn't do that. His Dad was his absolute hero and he wanted to show everyone that he could be funny and brilliant and popular too. This trick was going to show that.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Oh yes, my friends, and with my first ever attempt at a Fred ii chapter. I hope I do this well... Oh, and I was rereading a load of my favourite fanfictions and realised I accidentally used quite a few names of OCs from other stories; if the authors of said stories somehow end up reading this, I swear to you that it wasn't intentional.

**_Fred Steps Back (January 2018)_ **

Freddie Weasley couldn't help the massive grin that erupted on his face as he admired his handiwork. His two weeks off for Christmas holidays had been well spent and resulted in what was before him now- scrolls and scrolls of blueprints (as he heard the muggles called them). As the future head of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Frederick Milo Weasley ii knew he had to stack up his experience to become a worthy adversary. The many bits of parchment strewn across his bed at that moment were in fact detailing an elaborate prank he was planning to pull in the next week; so elaborate in fact, that he hadn't even clued in his usual partner in crime.

At that moment, as these things usually work out, said partner in crime poked his head through the red and gold curtains shut round Fred's bed.

"Seriously man, are you not going to let me help at all?" James pleaded.

Freddie just smiled as he shook his head. "No can do, Jay. This is a solo venture."

"We're Weasleys! There's no such thing as a solo venture!"

"Well technically Jay, I'm a Weasley- you're a Potter."

James mumbled a half-hearted curse as he sulked off back to his own bed.

It wasn't that Fred was selfish; he loved sharing the fame and glory with his best friend. However, this time he just wanted to try and do something himself. He wanted to prove himself worthy of the massive shoes he was required to fill. James utilised his fame; made himself oblivious to the pressure that came with the surname, but Fred couldn't do that. His Dad was his absolute hero and he wanted to show everyone that he could be funny and brilliant and popular too. This trick was going to show that.

* * *

The next day, Freddie shoved all his plans into his rucksack. After what felt like the longest ever Potions lesson, he escaped to a secluded part of the castle, a small alcove he had found on the fourth floor in his first year. He sat down and pulled out all his scrolls of parchment when he became aware of a quiet sobbing from the other end of the corridor. Fred's forehead creased in a mixture of concern and curiosity as he moved from his spot to explore.

Leant against a wall, a small Hufflepuff boy was crying into his hands. As subtly as he possibly could, Fred took a seat beside the boy and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey kid, do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

At the sound of a new voice, the boy momentarily froze, before his shoulders slumped and he sighed in resignation. "I-I-I was g-getting picked on b-by some kids in m-my year. They laughed at my st-stutter and said I l-looked like a hamster."

Fred looked at the boy and contemplated this. "... They sound like a bunch of tossers to me, and I'm pretty certain that you should ignore them as you seem much too good to actually listen to bullies. The name is Freddie by the way. Freddie Weasley."

The boy managed to break a small smile, "I'm Harry Creevey."

Fred smiled back before getting up and reaching a hand to pull Harry up. "Well. I've got some stuff to sort out for a prank I'm planning, but it's pretty boring on my own. Care to join?"

Harry nodded as he followed Fred to his alcove.

"And then I use this charm as a final touch."

"This is absolutely awesome! Everyone must fight to be your friend when you do cool stuff like this!" Harry exclaimed.

Fred shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wait until you do this tomorrow. You'll see that I'm right."

Fred smiled; then an idea came to him. Tomorrow was going to be awesome.

* * *

As the doors of the Great Hall were opened the next morning, students and staff alike gasped at the site. The entire room had been turned upside down. Everything. The tables, the chairs even the floating candles floated upside down. The four frenzied Heads of Houses ran in and tried to start lifting things, and in the confusion of it all, attempted to do so the muggle way.

"They're stuck with a sticking charm!" exclaimed Professor Flitwick.

The hordes of students gathered outside the room slowly escalated into a crowd of excitement and wonder. Laughter and whispers flew over the students of all years and all houses.

"What genius is the mastermind behinds all this?" A seventh year Slytherin asked.

"That would be this one here." Harry stilled at the hands rested on his shoulders. He turned around to see Fred Weasley smile at him. "Harry Creevey. He's only a first year- and he's Hufflepuff! Never would've thought I'd see the day where I was upstaged by someone so young and inexperienced in the pranking business!"

Multiple students began to crowd round Harry and congratulate him on his prank. He was getting high-fives, smiles; one or two people even hugged him. He could hardly believe it- just yesterday he was struggling to find anyone to be his friend and now the entire school knew his name, all thanks to Fred Weasley.

Fred snuck out of the crowd and leant against a pillar at the side of the room.

"That was a very kind thing for you to do, Mr Weasley."

Fred looked to his right and smiled at the headmistress stood next to him, "Thanks Minnie. I have my moments."

Mcgonagall glared at the use of his and James' nickname for her but remained silent for a moment before clearing her throat. "However, as we are both quite aware that this was your doing, you will still be required to serve detention."

Fred sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess that's the price to pay for being a superstar genius prankster. Take me away, professor."

The headmistress rolled her eyes and supressed a smile; she was getting soft in her old age. "Come on."

Fred followed behind her, stealing one at glance at Harry in amongst the crowd. The glory would've felt great, but this felt pretty good too.


	21. Little Louis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'If there was one thing that Louis Weasley hated, despised, abhorred; it was being the youngest. '

**_Little Louis (July 2012)_ **

If there was one thing that Louis Weasley hated, despised, abhorred; it was being the youngest. As he sat on the beach outside his home, chucking stones into the sea, he contemplated this fact for the millionth time. He sighed. It was so unfair; all of his family were getting ready for some exciting party with one of his dad's curse breaker friends, and he had been told that he wasn't allowed to go. Something about being too young for such a high profile event.

_"But Mama I'm 8. I'm not a baby; I should be allowed to go."_

_"No- Louis. We've said that you're too young."_

_"Mama!" Louis continued to protest. "Dominique is allowed to go and she's only a year older than me."_

_"J'en ai assez entendu!"_

_Louis silenced at the sound of his mother using French. "You're going to spend the weekend with your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and that's final, Louis."_

"Lou, it's time for us to go," Bill's voice pulled him from his stupor.

Within minutes, the small, blonde boy was stood in the fireplace of his Uncle and Aunt's library and his Dad was kissing him goodbye.

"Louis!" his younger cousins yelled with excitement at his arrival. Hugo, 4, and Rose, 6, were both exuberant children who adored all of their older cousins. At least he felt appreciated here.

He played with them for a bit before his Aunt insisted that it was bedtime and took them to go get ready. Ron made Louis a mug of hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows of course) and they sat down together in front of the TV. Some movie called Star Wars was on.

"Hey, Louis. Are you alright? You've not been your usual self today."

The small boy sighed in frustration. "I just hate it! Being the youngest sucks. You don't get to do the things your older brothers and sisters do and it's not fair. And Mum and Dad just don't get it- I mean, they're both the oldest child."

Ron looked at the small child, contemplating his words before breaking out into laughter.

"What?" Louis pressed. "What's so funny?"

Ron smiled at Louis. "Nothing, well it's just... It's just that you sound exactly like me."

Louis looked up at his uncle, slightly confused. "But Uncle Ron, you're not the youngest, Aunt Ginny is."

"Yeah, but she was the long-awaited daughter that Granny and Grandpa wanted. I was the last of six sons who got in the way of that."

"I don't like it. Whenever I've done something good, chances are that Vickie or Dom has already done it."

Ron patted Louis' shoulder in understanding. "I definitely know that feeling. Your Dad was Head Boy, Uncle Charlie was a Quidditch hero, Uncle Percy was a genius, Fred and George were the master pranksters of Hogwarts. It's a lot to live up to. At least you're only the youngest of 3."

Louis flung his arms around as he tried to explain his point, "Yeah but everyone loves Victoire; she's the nicest person on the planet! Then there's Dom who's already super smart and funny."

Louis looked up at his uncle and waited for a response. "I'm going to let you into a little secret I learnt a while back."

The child moved closer to his uncle on the sofa. "Forget them."

"Huh?"

"Just be yourself and do what you have to do. Don't make any decisions based on your sisters'"

"I'll still be the youngest."

"And that's great! It means you're the most fresh and you have more time to do awesome and incredible things. You're not Victoire or Dominique or your parents. You're Louis Gideon Weasley. Focus on that."

Louis threw his arms around his uncle and hugged him. Ron smiled at the gesture and the fact that his own experiences managed to help someone. This little Louis was big and brave and wonderful, and Ron couldn't wait for his nephew to realise that.


	22. Dominique does revision

**_Dominique does revision (May 2019)_ **

As was the case at Hogwarts; the time of year had arrived in which although the sun was shining and the grass was green, everybody was inside. There was a reason for this anomaly. Exam Season. However, one person wasn't inside studying and that was Dominique Weasley. This was very suspicious behaviour, you see, considering the nature of a Weasley. Bill and Fleur were both top students, the height of academic rigour. Victoire worked harder than anybody, the majority of her Hogwarts time was spent in the library. Adding all of this together, as well as contributing the fact that Dom was in fact of Ravenclaw house- it was suprising to say the least that when May hit, Dom was still out on the Quidditch pitch, or playing Exploding Snap with James by the Black Lake _(James' lack of studying was to be expected)._ One such day of this events occurring, Freddie commented on them.

"Guys, don't you think you should start revising? Our O. start in a few weeks." he gestured to the pile of textbooks he was immersed in.

Dom laughed. "Seriously Freddie, I'll be fine. You've heard what Flitwick says about me- the teachers think I'm a bloody prodigy!"

"Yeah, but they mark the papers anonymously. They won't give you any special treatment, Dom!"

Dom looked affronted at her usually calm cousin's outburst. "Why is it that you're only yelling at me and not Jamie?"

"We all know there's no point in me wasting my breath trying to get Jamie to study."

James sniggered as his own little form of agreement.

"Honestly Fred. You need to chill out. These are just OWLs. If they go wrong, they go wrong. So what? Now either put your textbooks down and come play with us or bugger off."

He rolled his eyes but started to gather up his things, "I'm going to the library."

James waved as his cousin sauntered off, his many essays hanging out the back of his rucksack. "If you see my idiot brother in there, tell him he's a nerd, okay?"

Freddie gave a thumbs up over his shoulder and continued to head back up the hill.

Dom laughed and went to deal her next card, when Jamie's hand stopped her. "Look Dom, maybe you should go study."

She stared back at James. "You of all people didn't just tell me to go study."

He shrugged, "I don't know, I'm fine because it doesn't really matter if I have good grades, because I have Quidditch. You, well, you said it yourself- the teachers expect a lot from you. I don't want our results to come through and for you to feel like you let them down."

Dominique contemplated all of this, before moving his hand from the deck and placing a card down. James shook his head in disapproval but continued to play nonetheless.

* * *

Two weeks later, and the exams were about to kick off. Students all over the castle were not to be reckoned with; especially not the 5th years and 7th years. The heads of houses had all had to deal with stressed students showing up on their office doorstep at obscure hours of the night. The younger years had learnt that the best thing to do was to hide in their dorm rooms (they shouldn't even attempt to reach the library. That just screamed 'bad idea'). It was at this point where Dominique started to actually panic. She kinda did need to pass her OWLs… Being a curse breaker wasn't the easiest of professions to get into. Yes she was smart, but she wasn't going to able to just walk into these exams… She sighed and got out of bed and tiptoed out of the Ravenclaw dorm and down the spiralling staircase out of the tower.

"Lumos."

As her wand lit up in the library, she was surprised to see her cousin Molly sat at a table, her head stuck in a book. She called to her.

Molly's head shot up, looking a bit scared to have been caught out. She relaxed as she took in who it was. "Shit, Dom. For a second I thought you were Lucy, ready to pounce on me."

Dom shook her head and chuckled, "Nope, it's just me. Why would Lucy pounce on you?"

"She's been on my case to revise for about two months, yet I've still ended up here the night before the biggest exams of my life, only just reviewing my notes. From the look on your face, I'm assuming you're here for a very similar reason?"

Dom checked herself and shook off her guilty expression, before sighing in defeat. "Yeah, but instead of Lucy, I had a Freddie shaped shadow telling me off."

Molly laughed as she pulled up a chair for Dominique to join her, "Always full of surprises, that boy."

"His parents have put a hell of a lot less pressure on him than mine have on me! He's got no right to be freaking out. He doesn't even have a little miss perfect to prove himself too."

"You're preaching to the choir, Dom. Between my parents and genius sister, I know all about fulfilling expectations."

"Maybe we can help each other out."

Dom nodded slowly in contemplation. "Yeah, thanks Molly. That would be great."

The two girls smiled before opening up the textbooks on the table in front of them. They worked well into the early hours of the morning; both exhausted but completely awake by the end of it.

* * *

3 months later, it was a sunny morning when the owl flew in to Shell Cottage with Dominique's results. She opened them up as quickly as possible, her eyes ravaging the information on the page. She smiled widely as she registered how well she'd done. Bill and Fleur took the paper from her and congratulated their daughter when the floo made a noise.

Dominique smirked as she saw Fred staring at her out the fireplace. "Here to brag? Because if you are, I think you'll find it to be a waste of the trip."

Fred's face went completely blank. "You passed with flying colours, didn't you?"

Dom wiggled her eyebrows cheekily in response, "You bet I did. I'm going to go enjoy my success. See you later cous"

Fred continued to stare shell shocked as Dom swaggered back off. Stupid smart people.


	23. Molly Weasley: Author

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly Charlotte Weasley never cried. Okay, sometimes she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. I understand that I kind of disappeared for a while… I just wasn't very well. However, I am well enough to now give you another chapter. A lot of you have said that Molly is one of your favourites out of the next gen characters I write, so guess what… I'm giving you Molly! : D And it even has super cute cheese with my oc David who I think you all approved of last time? If you're new and somehow missed all I'm talking about- Chapter 5 of this beckons. Anyway- hopefully that will help quell your anger after my long time of not updating?

**_Molly Weasley: Author (August 2025)_ **

Molly Charlotte Weasley didn't cry. Not after break-ups, not when she fell over, not even when people compared her to her dad (before his change of heart). However, right now, she was just so overwhelmed with emotions that she felt like she might tear up at any moment. Ugh. Emotions are gross. She continued to stand there staring at the window of Flourish & Blotts, her eyes never leaving the book sat on the easel in central view of everything.

A chuckle in her ear and arms encircling her waist shook her from her stupor. "I don't think I've ever seen you this shocked since the time you woke up in my bed."

Molly slapped David's arm, still not turning away from the shop window. "We don't mention that time."

"Why not? It's a regular occurrence, now," Molly rolled her eyes at David's smug tone, finally turning round to face him.

"Don't brag about your wooing skills! Today is my day to celebrate and be smug. I am now a published author after all…" she smiled and her eyes flickered back to the store front.

"I know and I'm a very proud boyfriend," he leaned in for a kiss before he felt two delicate hands pull him away from Molly.

"You may be a proud boyfriend, but there's no freaking way you're as proud as this proud cousin," and before Molly could even get to grips with Victoire's appearance, the older girl's curly blonde hair was shoved in her face as she was pulled in for a hug.

Molly laughed; well as much as you could with the limited breath she was getting. "Thanks Vic… but could you let me go?"

"Oh right sorry." Victoire pulled away, trying to smooth down Molly's clothes. "Got a little bit carried away."

Molly began to blush at her cousin's affection. "It's fine, honestly. Where's Teddy?"

"He's at home with Hector. He offered to do baby duty today as he knew that there was no way that I could not be here for your big day! I haven't missed the press release have I?"

"Nope. It starts in 20 minutes. Grandma and Granddad should be here soon," Molly's eyes roved Diagon Alley, hoping to catch a glimpse of her grandparents around. David noticed her worried look and placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"They'll be here. All your family will. Shall we go inside and get ready?"

Molly nodded and wandered into the bookshop. Her face lit up at the big display set up at the back of the store, with hundreds of copies of her new book staring up at her. She grimaced slightly at the not so great author profile shot which had been blown up to a big size, but even that didn't supress her excitement. Who'd have thought it? The daughter of Percy and Audrey Weasley- two of the not so creative souls on the planet- becoming an author for young witches and wizards. _Melodie Moskowitz._ That was the name printed at the top of all these books, and hopefully the name that would soon be known by every teen in the country. She smiled as she saw her sister's face smiling at her from outside the shop, both her hands lifted with her thumbs up at her. Molly took a deep breath as she headed back behind the table, waiting for the bookkeeper to open up the shop for the public and the press. The plan was for there to be a Q & A with the author, which was her, about the book, before people were allowed to come and gets signed copies and photos with her. Only ten minutes left now. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up once more to see that her parents and grandparents had finally arrived.

Any minute now… 3. 2. 1.

The doors of Flourish & Blotts were opened and a stream of people flowed in. 'Be a Gryffindor about this. Be a Gryffindor about this. They're just people.' Molly thought to herself on repeat before the member of staff next to her gave her the nod to start. This was it.

She drew her wand from her pocket, casting the Sonorus charm towards her neck to be heard.

"Hello, everyone. I am here today, on the release of my debut novel, _Melodie Moscowitz – an unexpected hero._ This is all very new to me, but also very exciting so I'll try and answer as many questions as I can."

Hands sprung up left, right and centre. Molly pointed at a random person. "So tell us, what is this book about?"

Molly smiled; this was a question she was prepared for. "Well it's about a Bulgarian princess, that's Melodie, who always thought she was a squib, yet is surprised when she is accepted into her country's most prestigious school for magic. She then begins to uncover a whole load of secrets about her life and her heritage which starts to explain why she's only just now able to do magic. It's a story about self-discovery and growing up and finding that you can be a hero, even when you never expected to be."

Molly looked out into the crowd, seeing lots of faces obviously interested in the book. She nodded towards another person waiting to ask a question. "In the book, the school you have set the story in sounds awfully similar to Durmstrang. Did you do much research about Bulgaria before you wrote the book?"

"Actually, I was very privileged to be able to go out there for a few weeks at the start of the year, and was even lucky enough to get a tour of Durmstrang and chat with some of the students there about the school and their experience there. My uncle- Harry Potter that is- is good friends with the ex- seeker for Bulgaria, Viktor Krum, who showed me a lot of the sites and taught me about the culture while I was there."

"Are you concerned that your book sales will be highly influenced by your last name?"

"If I was writing for adults, I would probably be concerned, yes. However, I am writing for children, who are lot less likely to be inclined to read a story purely because a person who's related to a war hero or two wrote it."

After a few more questions from various journalists, the shop owner stepped in, "Is there any questions that the kids, the people reading the books, would like to ask? If that's okay with Miss Weasley, of course?"

Molly nodded her head in approval as a few of the members of the public in the shop began to raise their hands.

"Did you write Melodie to be like you?" a small freckly girl asked, which sent Molly into a crazy laugh.

"She's definitely not like me. She's a lot better with people than I ever was, and she doesn't let herself get annoyed, and she's very humble. I think she's a lot more like my sister Lucy than she is like me."

"You used to work here in Diagon Alley at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Did you get any inspiration for this book during your time there?"

Molly folded her arms, her finger resting on her chin, "That's a very good question! Definitely, I'd say. A lot of the sneaky tricks and gags that the characters use to get out of trouble are ideas I pinched from my time at the shop."

A few more questions were asked, much more exciting than the journalists' ones, before people began to line up to get the book. Molly prepared her quill and began to sign book after book. Although it was a ritualistic process which should have been boring to most, she loved every single signature she had to sign, as it meant getting to talk to one more person that was going to read her hard work. Even if some of those people were her family. As child after smiling child rolled forward, saying they were excited to read the book, Molly felt tears beginning to roll down her cheek.

Molly Charlotte Weasley never cried. Okay, sometimes she did.


	24. Scorpius takes a stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'If looks could kill, he was pretty damn sure that James would currently be presenting his case at the Wizengamot as to why he had a perfectly valid reason for killing Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.'

**_Scorpius takes a stand (November 2017)_ **

After two months of being at Hogwarts, Scorpius was loving every moment; it was one of the most exciting times of his life. He had made amazing friends, and they had settled into a solid group of around 8 of them who all got on really well. Him and Albus though… their bond was more that of brothers- brothers who were practically inseparable. But as so many of you will have realised, kids can be cruel, and their friendship often came under scrutiny from other students, and sadly- one of these students happened to be Al's older brother James.

James would eye Scorpius carefully every time he started a conversation with either Albus or Rose, or any Weasley family member. So basically every day. If looks could kill, he was pretty damn sure that James would currently be presenting his case at the Wizengamot as to why he had a perfectly valid reason for killing Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. He sighed. It was bad enough hearing all the Slytherins deeming him a traitor for being sorted into Gryffindor; he didn't really need it from his housemates too. He had actually got used to James' quips they had occurred so often.

"Don't get too close, Rose- you might get a rash."

"Of course Al, of course you'd be crazy enough to be mates with a member of one of the families who were in Voldie's fan club."

"I bet you he's a coward, just like his dad. He'll betray you in a heartbeat."

Albus had tried to tell his brother that Scorpius was different from his family but to no avail. It was getting ridiculous now, but there wasn't much to be done.

* * *

Scorpius and Albus wandered out of their astronomy lesson and begun to head down the stairs back to the Great Hall. As they were walking they were stopped by a big, burly group of Slytherins who looked to be in their final years at Hogwarts. Each of them had a malicious smirk on their face.

"Oh look. Why if it isn't the blood traitor and boy wonder."

Albus looked to the ground awkwardly. "Leave me alone."

"Why? You going to get your famous dad on me?"

Scorpius stood in front of Al, preventing him from being in the line of fire. "He didn't choose who his parents are! Don't be a dick about it."

The older students laughed. The one who had been speaking moved forward- he must assume the position of ringleader. "You talking about little Albus here or yourself, Malfoy?"

Scorpius looked affronted; Al grabbed his hand and began to pull him off in the opposite direction. "Come on Scor, these guys aren't worth it."

The boys ooohed, taunting the two first years. "Who'd have thought that the descendant of a mudblood could stand up for himself."

That was the breaking point. Before Albus could even defend himself, Scorpius had leapt into action and had started kicking the older Slytherin, whose friends looked on doing nothing. Al- sensing that it was the only option- ran to Professor McGonagall to try and break up the fight. After he explained the situation with a mad panic in his eyes, the headmistress rushed to the scene of the fight and used her wand to pull the two apart.

"Mr Blankov! What disgusting behaviour- fighting with first years?! 50 points from Slytherin." She pushed the older boy away before turning her attention to Scorpius.

"Mr Malfoy, would you like to explain what happened?"

Scorpius sighed. "They were saying mean things about Al's family. They even used the m word, headmistress. It was the first reaction that came to my head. I'm sorry."

McGonagall looked down at the young boy and smiled wistfully. "Well, we can now see that the Sorting Hat was right to place you in Gryffindor. Come on- let's get you down to Madame Longbottom in the infirmary."

As soon as Scorpius lay down on the hospital bed, his eyes fluttered shut from exhaustion. When he awoke the next morning, an unexpected figure was sat next to his bed.

"Hey." James said awkwardly as he ruffled his dark hair.

"Umm, hi." Scorpius replied- just as awkward about the situation as his elder counterpart.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while before James sighed.

"Thank you Malfoy."

"What for?" curiosity lit up his eyes.

"For looking out for Al, and for defending the family name… everything really. I'm sorry for misjudging you. It was a dick move on my part."

Scorpius just looked in amazement as he tried to find some words to coherently express his thoughts. "Does this mean we're good now?"

James smiled. "Yeah. I think it does, Scorpius."

He chuckled as an afterthought came to him. "Unless you try any moves on any of my cousins or my sister. Then I will most definitely have to kill you."

Scorpius laughed and held his hand forward for James to shake. Scorpius Malfoy was brave in his kindness. He would fight for the helpless. That was who he was- and who he continued to be.


	25. James gets inked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'The witch nodded with approval, her eyes taking in every little detail of James' drawing. "I can definitely do that for you. We just need to discuss what you want done with magical ink, and what with muggle, and where you want it and what not. Follow me through to the back." She began to saunter back into the parlour, her pink hair swishing behind her, and James hurriedly followed.'

**_James gets inked (December 2019)_ **

James was an adult. 17 years old, and a fully-fledged Wizarding adult. He'd done well to make the most of his privileges so far, between buying firewhiskey, and wandering down to the club in Hogsmeade. This felt a lot more like the solidifying of his new adulthood though. He stood outside the Hogsmeade store, stared up at the sign and took a deep breath.

"Are you sure you want to do this Jamie?" Fred questioned beside him.

"Yeah, James, I don't know how Mum and Dad are going to react to this." Al said nervously.

"I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions." He nodded his head vigorously to reaffirm this statement; and with his confidence restored, he pushed open the door of the tattoo parlour.

As he walked in, his eyes widened slightly at the dark demeanour of the place, and the emptiness of it. He felt Freddie lay a hand on his shoulder,

"There's still time to escape."

James smirked as he walked up to the main desk. "Never."

He rang a bell and waited for someone to appear, as his brother and cousin jittered slightly behind him.

"Calm down, Al! You're not the one getting a tattoo."

Al laughed awkwardly, brushing off James' comment quickly. His laugh was cut off as the door to the backroom was opened, and from it stepped forward a young witch, probably only a couple years older than James. She smiled as she stepped to the desk.

"Hogsmeade Body Art- For all your muggle and magical tattoo needs. Do you have proof you're over 17?"

James smiled as he pulled out his wand and performed a quick charm.

"Brilliant." The witch flashed him a bright smile. "Do you know what you want?"

James nodded, and pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket and unfolded it.

The witch nodded with approval, her eyes taking in every little detail of James' drawing. "I can definitely do that for you. We just need to discuss what you want done with magical ink, and what with muggle, and where you want it and what not. Follow me through to the back." She began to saunter back into the parlour, her pink hair swishing behind her, and James hurriedly followed. Freddie and Al stayed still but looked at each other, each prompting the other to move.

The tattoo artist called back over her shoulder. "There are magazines in the corner, or a pub down the road. We'll be done in an hour tops. See ya later!" and with that she slammed the door in their faces.

"I guess we're leaving then…" said Albus, feeling offended at being shut down. Fred just rolled his eyes at him and the two of them left the shop to head to the Three Broomsticks.

In the back, James spoke animatedly as he explained his design to the tattoo artist, whom he now knew to be called Alex. Her eyes looked directly into his, her excitement matching his by this point.

"So let's just review the design shall we? We've got a giant snitch as the centrepiece, with one wing pointed to the left and one pointed upwards. We'll use magical ink on the wings so they flutter slightly. Lying against the wings, we have a quill, lightning bolt, wooden spoon, and a goldfish. Sat on the middle bit of the snitch we have a rubber duck, a lily-pad, a pair of antlers and the drawing of a lion that your brother gave you. Is that everything?"

"Yeah, that sounds right. Quill for mum; Lightning for Dad; Spoon for Nan; Fish for Granny Potter; Rubber duck for Granddad, Lily pad for Lily pad; Antlers for my namesake and 5 year old Al's crappy attempt at a lion." He grinned massively.

Alex laughed at his long list of family members. "And the snitch? Who does that represent?"

"Why me of course," James answered with a wink.

"And you want this on the right hand side of your hip, right? So that one wing sits on top of your waistband, and the other goes up your torso?"

He nodded excitedly once more.

"Well pop your shirt off and we'll get started." Alex smiled, but her eyes widened slightly as James removed his t-shirt.

He tried to play it cool, acting as if he couldn't see her checking him out. "Is something wrong?"

His voice shook her alert. "Nope, not at all. Let's get this tattoo done, shall we?"

* * *

After waiting at the pub for what felt like ages, and having spent all their money on food and hot butterbeer, Fred and Al were getting fed up of waiting for James. They placed their money on the table and made the executive decision to walk back to the castle. When they arrived, they were surprised to find James already sat on the sofa of the Gryffindor common room, skimming through a Quidditch magazine.

"Jamie! What the hell, we were waiting for you." Al shouted at his brother.

The older Potter boy shrugged. "I was sore. Came to rest up. Also TJ insisted that she had to be the first one to see my new ink."

"That I did!" shouted Tara from her spot by the fire amongst a few of the other seventh years.

Freddie smiled excitedly. "Let's see it then. Since you were actually brave enough to do it- I definitely want a glance."

James rolled his eyes, but pulled up the bottom of his t-shirt to reveal his raw skin, upon which sat a tattoo that took up a quarter of his upper body. The two boys looked in wonder.

Al crossed his arms against his chest. "Okay, I'll admit that it's pretty cool. I like that you managed to get the family in there."

"You're my blood, Albie. Of course I want permanent signs of you on my body."

"Even that shite drawing I did when I was little?"

"Especially that shite drawing you did! In fact, I think that might be the best part." He said, looking down to the little lion on his abs.

Al smiled back. "Wait until our parents see this! They'll lose their shit"

He was surprised as his best friend appeared beside them. "It would be a bit hypocritical of them, wouldn't it, considering your Dad has that Hungarian Horntail tattoo?"

James and Al looked to each other before bursting out laughing.

"Where on Earth did you get that from Scorpius?"

"My Dad said that everyone used to say that at school? I take it they were wrong."

James managed to nod before exploding into laughter further. When he had calmed down, he chuckled one more time. "Damn it. Now I wish I'd got a horntail tattoo instead!"

"Maybe it would help you pick up girls," Tara added as she threw herself onto the sofa beside them.

"Oh about that… I may now have a date with Alex the tattoo witch…"

The others around him all laughed. James never failed to stir excitement into the cauldron.


	26. Hugo's masterpiece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'It was strange really, how he found his solace in art. As a child, it had always been the science of the world that had fascinated him; Rose had always been the creative one. Yet the first time he picked up a brush, he knew that there was no going back.'

**_Hugo's masterpiece (May 2022)_ **

The brush waltzed across the canvas, like a shooting star, leaving a rainbow of stardust in its wake. He loved experimenting with colour, and that was the focus of his latest piece. The boy bit his lip in concentration and wiped the small bead of sweat from his brow as he cleaned his brush and prepared to add strokes of another colour. Green. A green that glistened like grass on a fresh morning; a green whose grass you would happily envelope yourself in. That was the perfect colour for the base of this painting. As he worked away in the empty Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Hugo Arthur Weasley felt completely at peace with the world. Nothing could pull him away from the serenity that he connected to the ebb and flow of a brush painting a picture. He smiled as he began to add the forms of two people in the centre of his canvas. He hadn't added any details yet, for that would have to be the final part of the process. Painting made him lose all sense of time and he loved that. He came down here to work as soon as his last class of the day finished and had worked right through dinner (Rose had left him a plate in the corner of the room) and was still going now; whatever time it actually was. His eyes never left the canvas, except when he needed to apply more paint to his brush.

It was strange really, how he found his solace in art. As a child, it had always been the science of the world that had fascinated him; Rose had always been the creative one. Yet the first time he picked up a brush, he knew that there was no going back. He guessed that's why he had been put in Ravenclaw. The wit and intelligence he already had, but he needed to dig a bit for his creativity. He knew that he could do this for the rest of his life. However, for the moment he would stick to getting this painting and going to bed; he didn't want to miss class in the morning because he overslept. He stood back from his painting and admired it for a moment. He smiled. Now for the main part.

* * *

On the morning of the 7th June, Hermione Weasley was woken up by the sight of Einstein, her son's owl, hovering outside the window with a large package grasped in its claws.

Hermione shook her husband, trying to get him to wake up. "Ron, look! Hugo has sent us something."

"Hugh?" Ron mumbled as he adjusted to the cold morning air as Hermione pulled back the covers and ran to open the window. "It's strange that he specifically told the owl to come to our room and not just put it in the postbox on the balcony." (That had been their way of remaining inconspicuous in their muggle neighbourhood).

Hermione read the small note attached, looked across to her husband and smiled. "It's an anniversary present for us."

Ron shot up, remembering the date. "Happy Anniversary hun."

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes at her husband's morning demeanour. "Happy anniversary to you too, Ron."

Ron's eyes lit up slowly, "Well, shall we have a look at what our son has sent us then?"

Hermione clambered back into their bed and passed Ron the note.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Happy Anniversary! I hope you like your present, a lot of time and effort went into it._

_School is going well. Exams are in few weeks but I'm not too concerned._

_Don't worry, Rose is behaving herself. Her prep for OWLs are going well and yes Dad, Scorpius is being good to her- stop freaking out. Her present should be with you soonish too._

_Love you,_

_Hugo. X_

"Open together?" Hermione asked, to which Ron nodded.

They each took one side of the packaging and tore it open. Both of their eyes fell onto the contents and they both stopped in wonder.

"Oh wow." Ron uttered. "How did we produce such a talented son?"

He smiled at his wife and leant over to plant a kiss on her lips and put his arm round her as they went back to looking at Hugo's masterpiece.

The painting depicted the big old tree in the meadow at the back of the Burrow and in front of it, a younger Ron and Hermione, dressed up in their wedding garments, holding each other close and dancing. The couple's foreheads rested on each other, and as Hermione looked closer, she noticed that Hugo had even managed to include her freckles and Ron's small scar that sat on his eyebrow. Everything was so real and brought her back to that day 19 years ago. She smiled and a small tear trickled down her cheek.

When the couple came down for breakfast, they immediately hung up Hugo's painting on their kitchen wall. Over the years, many paintings of his came and went but that one… Oh that one. Well that one never came down.


	27. Albus is oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'All 3 of them went silent as Albus' eyes shot back and forth between the two. He stuttered as if he was trying to say something but nothing came out. Oh no. And that moment, right then was when Albus Severus Potter, aged 15 years, 3 months and 13 days, upon learning that his two best friends in the entire universe, were in fact, seeing each other: passed out on the floor of the Gryffindor common room.'

** _Albus is Oblivious (2nd December 2021)_ **

Albus Severus Potter. Well… here's the thing about Albus Severus Potter. He was a good kid, a really good kid- not many people disliked him in fact, but he wasn't… shall we say… the sharpest horn on the Crumple Horned Snornack. He was bright academically, but he had a tendency to be rather oblivious. That day that James walked in on Teddy and Victoire, Albus genuinely wasn't expecting it. When Louis came out as bisexual a couple of months ago, he was the only one in the family who had the shocked expression on his face. It was good for Freddie and Jamie- pranking was a lot funnier when the target never saw it coming. It also made planning surprise parties a lot simpler, as there was never any of that underlying fear that Albus would guess what was going on. Anyway, where am I going with this? Oh yes. Today I will recount the tale of a day when Albus' obliviousness was even more apparent than usual. It all began that morning, when Al burst through the doors of the great hall…

Al skipped into the hall, so relieved that it was finally a Hogsmeade day. It had felt like an era since the last one. OWL year felt like it was going dreadfully slow, and all he wanted right now was to have a good day with his best mates drinking hot butterbeer, eating Honeydukes chocolate, visiting his cousin Fred in the joke shop and having a bloody good time. His eyes glazed over the hall, trying to find his friends. He smiled as his eyes settled on Rose and Scorpius sat on the far left table. He ruffled his hair as he swaggered over and plunked himself down on the seat against the wall besides Scorpius.

"Good morning, Malfoy."

Scor smiled as Albus' cheerful tone. "Well it definitely sounds like you're having one."

"I guess I just have a good feeling about today." Albus shrugged, before turning to acknowledge his cousin. "Morning Rose."

Rose nodded back at him. "So what makes today so brilliant, dear cousin?"

"Well…" and with that, he went off on a spiel about everything going on his life and how all these bitter failings were leading to something bigger and- _wait, hang on a minute. What on Earth is Scorp staring at? He's completely transfixed._ He followed Scorpius' eye line. It just led back to Rose. He looked over Rose's shoulder to see if there was some girl behind her who had caught Scorpius' attention, but he couldn't spot anyone who was his best friend's type. He ignored his friend's weird behaviour and continued.

"And today we are going to have an absolutely awesome time in Hogsmeade."

This caught Scorpius' attention. "Wait. Hogsmeade? Today?"

"Yeah, bro. Where have you been living?" He took a swig of his pumpkin juice and shook his head sarcastically.

Scorpius' eyes quickly flicked to Rose before returning to look at his best mate. "Look, Al, I'm really sorry, but I'm really behind in Charms at the moment so I'm going to have to give it a miss today. I'm real sorry, bud."

Al looked disappointed but shrugged regardless. "Hey, it's cool. Me and Ginger Snap over here will go have a great day family bonding with Freddie at the shop, right Rose?"

He looked at Rose hopefully, but her eyes had already hinted at what she was about to say. She sighed. "I've got work to catch up on too and Scor and I said we were going to run through it together. I'm sorry Al. If I'd have known you were looking forward to it so much, I would have tried to sweet talk Flitwick."

Al rolled his eyes. "You guys are both such losers. Seriously? It's a Saturday, AND a Hogsmeade weekend AND it's nearly Christmas and all you do want to bloody do is study. I can't believe it! You're not even Ravenclaws, you're not even-"

"What are you ranting about now Albus?" a new voice added. Charlie Nott sat down next to Rose as Al paused his rambling to answer their friend.

"Well I was looking forward to a day with these two in Hogsmeade, but they both have to stay back and do Charms homework."

Charlie snorted, nearly spitting his drink everywhere. "Working on their charms, are they?"

Rose and Scorpius shot the Slytherin a threatening look, which Albus of course didn't notice.

"Anyway. How about you, Charles? You up for a day in the village?"

Charlie ran a hand through his curly hair. "I can't mate. My Dad is coming here to have a word with me about some stuff."

Al got up to storm off. "You guys are all utter shit. I'm going to go find Ariadne and we are going to have a fabulous day in Hogsmeade without all your lame arses."

"Bye Al." All 3 of them waved him off, releasing the breath they were holding until he left.

"You guys still not told him?" Charlie asked the couple next to him, in between mouthfuls of cereal.

Rose replied frustrated, "No Charlie, and we'd appreciate it if you didn't either."

"Seriously guys, I would never betray your trust like that. What I don't understand, however, is how the boy hasn't noticed anything. You two are as subtle as the giant squid waving a broom around with a banner." He laughed.

"It's probably a good thing he hasn't worked it out. It would be better if he heard it directly from us."

"Well, get a move on then, because although I'll keep your secret, I don't know if the rest of the school, who've all noticed your 'discreet' glances by the way, will stay quiet."

Scorpius shrugged, tugging on the sleeves of his jumper. "I think everybody knows that telling Albus is a bad idea."

"Let's hope they do. See you later, my little lionhearts." Charlie winked at them and sauntered off.

Rose sighed, looking across the table at her boyfriend. "I hate it, but he is right, you know?"

"I know, Rosie. I'm just not quite ready for your family to hex me to my death. Let's let Albus be oblivious for a little longer, and we'll go get our work done quickly so we can make out in the empty common room?"

A cheeky smile rose on her face. "Well Malfoy, that doesn't sound completely abysmal."

* * *

Albus wandered through the streets of Hogsmeade with Ariadne Longbottom walking alongside him. The pair had dated for just under six months last year, but had ended things a few months ago, since Al insisted that he'd need to focus this year because of exams. The pair were still close friends though, what with them growing up together. As a cold rush of wind rushed over them, Al pulled up his coat tighter around him as Ariadne shuddered, her Hufflepuff scarf not being as much of a saviour from the cold as she'd hoped for.

"It's pretty cold, isn't it Albus," she hinted at him, moving a little bit closer.

"Yeah, it's bloody freezing." He paused for a moment before laughing. "Good thing I've got my coat!"

"Good for you," Ariadne mumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

They walked along the main high street a bit further when they came to a stop in front of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The Hogsmeade branch had been run by Ron Weasley since its opening in 2000, but Freddie was now its manager since he'd left Hogwarts and Ron had decided to return to the Auror department. Fred had always been around the Potter house as Albus was growing up since he and James were as thick as thieves, and Albus had always admired his sharp thinking and kind words. His face formed a wide smile as soon as he saw the man through the window. Al grabbed Ariadne's wrist and pulled her through the door into the bright, colourful shop. He immediately pulled her through the throngs of Hogwarts students and ran up to where Fred was stood behind the counter.

"Is that a dorky Potter and a way too good looking to ever understand why she dated Al, Longbottom?" Freddie questioned in his usual cheeky tone.

Ariadne grinned at the older boy's welcome, and leant across the counter for a hug. "Indeed it is. Hi Fred, how are you?"

"I'm very well Ari. All the better now that you guys have come for a visit. So my lil' cousin, how are you?"

"Don't even get me started Freddie. School has been ridiculously busy and then today finally have a fun day off and Scorpius and Rose said they had to stay back at the castle and study." As Al continued to go into another one of his usual rants, Ariadne stayed quiet and looked around the shop. As she did, she caught the eye of Henry Summers, a cute Ravenclaw in the same year as Albus. The boy smiled at her and she could feel his eyes roam over her. He began to swagger across the store to her.

"Hey Ari, how are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good thank you," she muttered, tucking her hair slowly behind her ear.

"Listen, me and my friends were thinking of going to the Three Broomsticks for a drink; you in?"

Behind them, Fred nudged Al, who wasn't even paying attention to the situation.

Ariadne turned to Albus. "Hey, Al, I'm going to go the pub with Henry and his friends. I'll see you later okay?"

Al nodded and waved goodbye as she walked out the shop with the tall blonde boy.

"What a pillock. He does know that her Dad is our professor, right? And a fucking war hero? He'd kill anyone who hurt his daughter."

Fred sniggered. "Why you being all protective? You're not her brother, and you're not her boyfriend anymore."

"Whatever. She's a close family friend, I should look out for her."

Fred nodded his headed disbelievingly. "Hmmm. You keep telling yourself that."

Albus pulled an offensive face at his cousin. "Well fine, I'm going back to the castle."

"Okay then," Fred said, pushing up his sleeves, "Send my sister my love."

"I will," Al called over his shoulder and he began the short walk back to the castle.

Hogsmeade Saturdays meant that the majority of students in third year and up were out of the castle, and the rest of the student body tended to hang around certain spots in the castle. In the years since the battle, Hogwarts had worked hard on inter-house interaction so weekends were rarely spend in the house common rooms, as people would rather mingle with friends from other houses. So the main places to hang out were the Great Hall, Library and even the corridors. However, Albus couldn't be bothered with people anymore today, so decided to head back to the Gryffindor common rooms.

He nonchalantly gave the Fat Lady the password and wandered into the common room, but as he got passed the alcove into the main room, he stopped in shock. There on the sofa was Rose sat in the corner, her legs flung across Scorpius' lap (he was sat next to her), her hands intertwined in Scorpius' hair, _his_ hands were carefully placed- the left resting on Rose's cheek and the right moving steadily up her thigh: _way higher than any boy was allowed to touch Rose._ Albus went red and suddenly moved himself into action, removing himself from the surprise.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FUCKING DOING?"

His two friends leapt up, Rose rolling off Scorpius onto the floor and Scorpius standing up as quickly as humanly possible.

"Look Al, we can explain." Scorpius said slowly, like a dragon tamer stood in front of an angry Hungarian Horntail.

"You can explain why you, my best friend, were taking advantage of my cousin when all she wanted to do was study?"

Scorpius looked affronted, "Well hang on a minute, Al"-

"And you can explain why you had your tongue shoved down the throat of a girl you don't even like?"

"Al, let me"-

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU?!" Rose cut in, staring at her two friends with a fiery glare and a rising blush.

"Scorpius and I were kissing because we're dating!"

All 3 of them went silent as Albus' eyes shot back and forth between the two. He stuttered as if he was trying to say something but nothing came out. Oh no. And that moment, right then was when Albus Severus Potter, aged 15 years, 3 months and 13 days, upon learning that his two best friends in the entire universe, were in fact, seeing each other: passed out on the floor of the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

Albus slowly came to his senses and as he looked up he saw Rose and Scorpius both sat next to him looking extremely concerned. That was when he remembered.

He lifted a finger and waved it between the two people either side of him. "So you two losers are dating?"

They nodded.

Albus slowly nodded his head in understanding. "How long?"

Rose awkwardly with a guilty smile answered, "You know… Just two months."

 _Two whole fucking months?!_ Al pulled himself from the ground and with a resounding bang, he punched Scorpius Malfoy in the face.

"Shit, Albus!"

"It's fine Rosie, I deserved that," Scor reassured her as he wiped the blood from his nose.

"Two months and you didn't think to tell me? Scor- I'm like a brother to you! And Rose; we've always talked to each other."

Rose looked upset as she laid a reassuring hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Look, we wanted to tell you, we really did, but we didn't know how you'd react. You guys all get so protective of me when I date, and I didn't really want to ruin the best friendship you ever had just because the boy was now also dating me. And besides, you would have told the family and we weren't quite ready for my Dad finding out."

Al sighed deeply. "Well I guess that makes sense. Who knows about it?"

Scorpius answered this question. "Officially, just Chaz and Annie. Unofficially- I think quite a few people have clocked on to the fact that there's something going on between us."

"Charlie and Annabel? How come they were allowed to know? And what do you mean, people would have guessed? It's hardly obvious."

Rose took the baton back. "Annabel guessed that Scorpius liked me before he even thought about telling me. She was the one who encouraged him to say something. Chaz, well he just straight up asked me, and you know that the Slytherins can spot a liar in seconds so I had to tell him the truth. Also, sorry to break it to you Al, but I think everyone saw it coming."

"They can't have! Just you wait until we tell the family; they'll be as shocked as I was."

"Well we'll see in a few weeks. We're going to tell them over Christmas."

"That should be fun. I'm telling you- they'll think you're joking."

* * *

When Boxing Day came and Rose broke the news, nobody thought they were joking. There were even a few gasps of 'finally' and cash being passed around the table as the result of many the bet. Even his Uncle Ron, who he was so so sure would flip out and cause a scene, just sighed and said, "Well I'd have been lying if I said I hadn't been preparing myself for it. Just don't make me regret being okay with this, Malfoy." Albus just stared at his family in complete disbelief.

"Did you all see this coming?"

"Of course we did! Did you really not?" his mother questioned him with a chuckle.

He groaned as he left the kitchen to bury himself under a pile of blankets. Boy, did he need to stop being so oblivious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Al, you and your blind nature, child. I hope you all liked this one and that there wasn't too much fluffiness for those of you who aren't fans of Scorose. I finally introduced Charlie Nott into this chapter- he's one of my favourite people in my next gen headcanon so I was glad to get him out of my head and on to paper, albeit briefly.
> 
> For those of you who are bound to comment on the fact of 'why is Albus getting jealous of a guy liking his ex-girlfriend when he's gay?' In this universe, yes Al is gay, but he doesn't properly come to terms with his sexuality until he is 16/17. Also, regardless of that, he is telling the truth when he says that his protectiveness stems out their close friendship. I think that's why, before he comes out as gay, Albus does constantly keep going back to Ariadne- because he'd rather be the one there looking after her and spending time with her rather than letting guys try to sleep with her as a challenge because her dad is a teacher. SO yeah- head canon explained.


	28. Victorious doesn't care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Victoire wasn't really one for Quidditch; never had been. Football on the other hand... She loved it. She had been trying to convince her Uncle Harry to a match next time he went with his cousin, but Fleur kept dropping hints that that wasn't the best idea.'

**_Victoire doesn't care (July 2009)_ **

She laughed as the ball flew from in front of her foot, right past Molly and into the goal.

"Scooooooooore!" Victoire cheered as she proceeded to do cartwheels around the Burrow's large field.

Teddy grumbled from beside her. "Now you're just showing off, aren't you?"

The younger girl laughed and stuck her tongue out at her best friend. It was funny how they had picked up a love for football and played it amongst the cousins. When Angelina had become part of the Magical Games and Sports, she had decided that it would be useful for the whole team to learn more about muggle sports so as to develop the quality of magical games. She had shared her enthusiasm with her son Freddie, who in turn had shared it with each of his cousins that were big enough to kick a ball. This had resulted in what they were currently taking part in. A football match on a warm Sunday afternoon: Teddy, James, Dom and Molly vs Victoire, Freddie, Lucy and Louis. Victoire wasn't really one for Quidditch; never had been. Football on the other hand... She loved it. She had been trying to convince her Uncle Harry to a match next time he went with his cousin, but Fleur kept dropping hints that that wasn't the best idea. The little girl had a tendency to get a bit excitable, and when that happened, accidental magic would probably occur.

As the game continued, it got more intense and a bit rougher and Victoire was loving every second.

"Freddie, get it!" she screamed as she frantically kicked the ball to her cousin, who in turn aimed at the goal, but Molly dived just in time to get it.

Teddy turned to her from across the pitch and gave a smug smile. She just glared at him in response, but this was a ploy, as by the time she'd looked back up, James had kicked the ball straight past Louis. Victoire's mouth opened into a wide O as she ran up to Teddy and pushed him to the ground.

"That was completely unfair- you distracted me!"

"How did I?" the offended Teddy shouted back up at her.

"By trying to grab my attention with that stupid smile so Jamie could score."

"What?" The sarcasm dripped from the 11 year old's voice. "I could never do such a thing."

Something snapped in Victoire and she leapt on Teddy, throwing all of her little amount of weight at him. Teddy fought right back, knowing that Vic was strong enough to be able to handle it. Soon enough, the two of them were rolling around in the grass, aiming hits at each other, as the others just stared at them. The fact that none of the cousins went to grab the adults was either a testament to their determination not to snitch, or a worrying sign that they loved a good fight.

After a while of pushing and slapping each other, Victoire's competitive side calmed down and her and Teddy burst into large bouts of laughter. Ted jumped up, smiling and brushed off the grass from his body then reached down to pull Victoire up. The girl rolled her eyes before taking the hand and getting up herself. The others all went straight back to plying their game, but Victoire decided that she needed a glass of water after all that activity.

She wondered off away from the group and back inside, helping herself to a drink from the kitchen. Then she heard a gasp.

"Victoire! What on Earth, do you zink you 'ave been doing?" Fleur exclaimed, her voice furiously slipping into her strong French accent.

This was when Victoire paused to look at herself and feel her hair. Her two plaits had come nearly completely undone, her knees were scraped up, there were grass stains on her shorts and her shoelaces were untied.

"You are a complete mess." Fleur then went on to rant in French about how she couldn't believe any daughter of hers could be so messy.

Victoire stayed quiet so as not to incite her mother's rage; but on the inside she wore a wide smile. Yeah she had hurt herself, and looked dirty, but oh well. She had had so much fun, frankly- she couldn't care less about her appearance.


	29. Rose plays a prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'James put his hands up in front of him for defence. "I swear to you that this wasn't us. I kinda wish it was because that was bloody hilarious, but it really wasn't."
> 
> "Who the hell was it then?" Dom screamed, her eyes getting darker the angrier she got.
> 
> All the cousins looked between them, trying to work out who the mastermind was, but an awkward silence just filled the air.'

**_Rose plays a prank (17_ _th_ _February 2019)_ **

The springtime sunshine burst through the windows of the great hall shining on to the four tables at which Hogwarts' many students were helping themselves to breakfast, the murmurs of friendly chatter floated through the room, and Rose Weasley was sat at one of those tables- a full plate of food ignored in front of her- with a daring smirk on her little face. As the seats around her began to fill, she made sure her face was rather the picture of innocence. Her older cousin James who was in fifth year clumsily slid in to the seat next to her, his hand holding a slice of toast that he was shoving into his mouth. His little brother Albus scoffed at his disgusting manners from across the table, even though his were no better. The fact that the Weasley/Potter children were actually congregating themselves to all sit together was unusual, as this happened very rarely. However, today they had good reason to.

"Has the birthday girl shown up yet?" Roxy asked as she too slid on to the bench alongside her slowly gathering cousins.

"Not yet." James shook his head.

"In fairness, there are a lot of stairs from the Ravenclaw common room to here," Louis pointed out as he tightened his yellow and black tie.

"Yeah, but I'm already here and I'm a Ravenclaw too," Lucy pointed out wittily, not even looking up from the textbook sat beside her breakfast plate.

"Yes but we all know how early you wake up, so don't try and be clever with us." Her twin laughed, elbowing her in the side.

"Are you sure she's even going to like the present we got her?" Al asked, a tone of anxiousness in his voice.

"Of course she will," Fred reassured him. "We all chipped in to buy them so a lot of careful thought and planning has gone in."

"And besides, she should just be grateful that none of us have planned a birthday prank on her this year." Jamie added.

Roxy guffawed. "That's certainly true. That one she planned for Rose's birthday last month was crazy!"

Rose's face reddened slightly and she hoped that she was managing to keep up appearances.

"What's taking her so long?" Molly groaned. "We're going to have to head off to lessons soon and I want to see her face when she opens the present."

As if on cue, they spotted Dominique coming from the hallway into the Great Hall, her dyed brunette hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head, her face adorned with a massive smile as she danced on over to the table where her family were all sat. "It's my birthday, bitches!"

They all laughed and rolled their eyes as the various cousins/sibling rose up to engulf Dom in hugs and wish her a congratulations on reaching the grand old age of 16.

"So Dom, how exactly do you plan on spending your last year of childhood innocence?" Fred questioned, leaning up on his elbows to hear her answer.

Dom hesitated for only seconds before answering, "Doing something awesome I hope! Now, I can see all you beaming like idiots so I assume one of you is currently in possession of my birthday present?"

Dominique glanced round waiting for someone to break, but they all sat in a firm resolve. After a minute or so of this silent staring contest, Lucy rolled her eyes and was about to speak up before Rose butted in:

"Oh for goodness sake, Al, just give her the present before we need to go to class."

Al went bright red, before reaching down into the pocket of his cloak to pull out a long gold envelope. Dominique's eyes widened dramatically as he handed it to her.

"Happy birthday Dom."

"The present is from all of us," Roxanne added in case Dominique was expecting anything else.

Dom nodded quickly before chewing her lip in anticipation.

"Drum roll," James muttered under his breath, before him, Fred and Molly all started tapping the table frantically. Dominique snorted at the childish act but it excited her on the inside. She carefully peeled open the envelope and pulled out the paper inside to read it. As the realisation dawned on her of what the paper was, she drew in a deep breath before squealing in a way that drew the attention of the entire table, even beyond their little corner of it.

"Winged Dixie tickets? No freaking way- they are my favourite band ever! You guys are the best."

"We know," was the collective response.

Dom jumped off her seat and ran round to hug all of them as thanks for the tickets. When she sat back down, she was caught unaware by an unfamiliar looking brown owl swooping in and dropping a large purple card in front of her. She looked around at all her cousins but they all looked just as surprised as Dominique herself.

"Well now I'm curious." Molly said; her hands rested on Dom's shoulders from behind her.

"Go on, Dom. Open it." Roxanne urged.

Cautiously, Dominique opened the card and before anyone could really process what was going on, she had been sprayed in the face with a beaming jet of water and gold glitter. She closed the card immediately, looking at the front to try and understand what was happening, before her eyes suddenly shot up across the table to glare at James and Fred.

James put his hands up in front of him for defence. "I swear to you that this wasn't us. I kinda wish it was because that was bloody hilarious, but it really wasn't."

"Who the hell was it then?" Dom screamed, her eyes getting darker the angrier she got.

All the cousins looked between them, trying to work out who the mastermind was, but an awkward silence just filled the air. In all the confusion none of them noticed that Neville (or Professor Longbottom at school) had approached their table.

"Hey guys, why are you all sat so…." Before he finished his sentence Dominique turned around, her glitter spewed face looking not so impressed and stormed pass the Gryffindor head of house and out of the Great Hall. Neville sighed before crossing his arms and looking at the children he knew all too well. "As a teacher, I should ask what happened and give you lot detention. But as a family friend, I'm going to let it slide, and hope for your sakes that Dominique doesn't find out who did this."

Neville wandered off again and Albus nudged James. "Was that really not you?"

Jamie shook his head. "It genuinely wasn't. Molly? Anything to do with you?"

Molly shrugged. "Not me. Though I agree with you that I wish it was, because that really was rather glorious."

"Who could it be then?" Lucy asked.

Rose sat in the corner, trying to suppress her laughter.

* * *

"Hey, Rose!" Rose turned around to see her good friend Charlie Nott running up to catch up with her and Annabel. The two girls waited for him to catch up.

"You did it then?" He said, his eyes glowing with excitement.

Rose stayed quiet but a massive smile formed on her face and she shook her head enthusiastically. "Thanks for letting me borrow your owl. I needed one that my family wouldn't recognise."

"Always happy to aid a practical joke. Al was telling Scor and me about it and it really did sound hilarious. I heard that Filch was causing a right fuss about having to sweep up glitter from the floor of the Great Hall."

Annie gasped in realisation. "That was you! I overheard Loretta and some of the other Ravenclaws discussing it in transfiguration this morning. Apparently Dominique came into their common room covered in glitter and yelled at anyone who asked about it."

Rose and Charlie burst out laughing and high fived.

"I should feel bad." Rose started, "but I don't. Revenge was pretty sweet."

"You're not going to feel like that when she finds out, Ro!"

Rose rolled her eyes at her friend. "Who would ever suspect that I, Rose Weasley was capable of such things?"

Charlie snorted throwing his arm around Rose's shoulder affectionately, "I would be the first to suspect that _you,_ Rose Weasley, were capable of such things."


	30. Lorcan's love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'He was in deep. Over the years he had tried so hard to forget his stupid crush on Lily Luna Potter, but something refused to let her go. Of course he had resigned himself long ago to never being able to call her his, but he was past being upset about that. That was how it was.'

**_Lorcan's love (May 2026)_ **

She sniffled into the sleeve of the hoodie he had given her, one more time before releasing a heavy sigh and a laugh. "Merlin, I can't believe I'm actually crying about this- when did I turn into such a pygmy puff?"

Lorcan looked at her with nothing but admiration in his eyes. "You're not a pygmy puff Lily, you're probably just crying because of how stressful this year has been for you. I mean, it is your final year after all."

"Yeah, you're probably right." She smiled. "I'd like to see how you handle it next year."

"Hopefully better than you," the Ravenclaw added cheekily, earning him an elbow in the rib.

"Completely unfair at this moment in time, Lorcan, I'm emotionally distressed!"

He rolled his eyes. "You have no need to be. You fucked up, but it's over now. Both guys found out about each other and now they're both out of your life. You can move on to someone- yes just the one- who is way better. Or better still, you could actually focus on your NEWTs so that you don't fail."

"I'll have you know," Lily stated, her finger waving in Lorcan's face, "that my father is the Chief Auror and one of the most respected men in the country, and he doesn't have NEWTs."

Lorcan gave her a look that she understood instantly.

She rolled her eyes in response, "I'm a Potter- I'm allowed to use my famous relatives to my advantage occasionally. You could do it do if you wanted to- I mean you are after all the great-grandson of the intrepid explorer Newt Scamander."

"I could never do that. Maybe it's because I'm not a Slytherin like you?" he suggested.

"Please, Lorcan- everyone knows that Jamie was the king of milking our last name and he was as Gryffindor as they came." Lily commented, her whole face lighting up.

Lorcan laughed in agreement, his eyes smiling as they lingered on Lily's face. He was in deep. Over the years he had tried so hard to forget his stupid crush on Lily Luna Potter, but something refused to let her go. Of course he had resigned himself long ago to never being able to call her his, but he was past being upset about that. That was how it was.

Realising that he had probably stared and left the silence hanging a bit too long, Lorcan coughed and sat up. "You should probably go back to your dorm. I don't want Professor Blackwell on my case because I was keeping her students out past curfew."

Lily snorted, a trait which Lorcan thought was very Weasley of her. "You're such a goody two shoes Scamander."

He smiled, ignoring her as he stood and held out his hand for her to grab. She took it willingly, her being pulled up with more force than expected and slamming her body into his chest. She laughed and the sound was like a symphony in his ears, because that was the kind of disgustingly hopeless romantic that he was.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to the dungeons."

They walked together, side by side, Lorcan frequently letting his eyes flicker over to Lily. She was such a complicated girl, but that was never a deterrent. He understood her; deep down. She just wanted to escape the role set down for her by someone else- namely the media. Although he never quite approved of her methods, he understood them. His eyes revelled in the sight of her. She was his Helen of Troy, and he was damn sure that he would fight a war if she asked him to. And she would ask him to. Lily asked the world of Lorcan, and he never said no. He had covered for her so many times with her parents; he had been the shoulder on which she cried after a boy had hurt her (or the other way round), he had happily been part of the schemes which she enacted on her older brothers when they were being too protective. He would do anything for her. He didn't expect anything in return- it wasn't as if he did it so she would love him- he did it because he couldn't find it in him to say no. Not to her. Never to her.

As they arrived at the dungeons Lily let out another sigh, turning to Lorcan and pulling him into a great hug.

"Thanks for tonight buddy. You always listen, even when I'm spouting absolute shit."

"You never spout shit, Lily."

Her face pulled a look of disbelief, "You also know how to lie to make me feel better."

She pulled away and began to remove the hoodie he had lent her but he stopped her. "Keep it."

She said nothing, only shrugged it back on. Lily muttered the password and smiled one last time as she head back into the common room.

Lorcan's eyes rested on the door a few more seconds before heading off towards the Ravenclaw tower. He wasn't even half way down the corridor when he heard the door slam shut and a pair of footsteps running to catch up with him. He turned around confused, until he saw his twin stood there with a strange look on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"You can't keep doing this Lorcan."

"You want me to stop being a good friend?"

"No, of course not." Lysander spat out, annoyed. "I want you to stop being so whipped and doing anything for a girl who's never going to fucking love you back. It's not fair on her, and it's certainly not fair on you."

Lorcan's voice was barely more than a whisper when he replied. "You know that I know that, and I don't care."

Lysander's voice was the opposite, emerging from him like an angry shout. "You may not care Lorcan but I do! I don't like seeing my brother getting treated like shit, because he deserves so much more than that."

"She doesn't treat me that badly," Lorcan protested.

Lysander glared back at him, no trace of backing down in his eyes. "She's walked straight into that common room, wearing _your_ clothes, and gone right back to flirting with someone who isn't you."

Lorcan tried not to let the news faze him. "She's allowed to do that."

"Fuck off is she."

"She's your friend too; I don't know why you're getting so worked up about this."

"She's my friend. You're my brother. You're more important, and right now, I want nothing more than for you to move on and find a girl who will look at you the same way you look at her."

"I've tried Lysander. Merlin, I've tried. But it didn't fucking work, okay?"

His brother looked at him with sadness in his eyes. "One day, Lorcan Scamander, there is going to come a girl who wants nothing more in the world than you, someone who will crawl to the ends of the universe for you. I'm never this much of a sap so know that I mean this. Just…" he sighed. "Just don't let Lily fuck you up so much that you never find her."

Lysander reached forward and squeezed his brother's shoulder before departing back to the dungeons.

Lorcan reflected on what he said as he climbed the many stairs up Ravenclaw tower, but they went through one ear and out the other. Lorcan loved Lily. He couldn't stop that. It was a force of nature. He just needed her to recognise it, before it overwhelmed him completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right… So I don't quite know what happened there? It got really really angsty and I didn't intend for it to. Oh well. It did and you'll just have to deal with it! xD it helps set up something I'm planning with Lily when I bring her into Something New in a few chapters time. I hope this wasn't too painfully ooc for me, and that you all still love me. (please love me)


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